


Through The Sands of Time (JJBA)

by Otakuqueen1089



Category: Jojo’s bizarre adventure
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/No One Dies, But with a happy ending, Dio (mentioned) - Freeform, Eventual Lemon, Everybody Lives, Fluff, Friends-Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Kakyoin Noriaki’s parents (mentioned), Kakyoin’s parents are not good, Kind of a slow burn, M/M, Minor Angst, Nightmares, Once I explore more useful tags for this fic I’ll update them, PTSD, PTSDio, Physical Therapy, Post- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 3: Stardust Crusaders, Spoilers (duh), jotakak - Freeform, minor angst kind of, slow building relationship, some self loathing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25112620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otakuqueen1089/pseuds/Otakuqueen1089
Summary: Jotaro Kujo is a man who likes to see things through. If he’s promised you an ass beating, you’ll get one. He promised his mother that he’d save her. He promised himself he’d get everyone out alive. And he sure as hell promised to Kill Dio. Now with Kakyoin in the hospital, he promised to see his best friend through it all. This weird feeling he has around his best friend? Well, he at least wants to figure out what the hell it means.
Relationships: Kakyoin Noriaki/Kujo Jotaro
Comments: 35
Kudos: 155





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there, readers. I’m trying my hand at some Jotakak. I might go back when this is finished and change some things. But for now, I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think in the comments! If there are any obvious errors I’ll happily change them. I write after work so I’m a little tired when I start writing. I apologize in advance for any mistakes you guys happen to come across. I do most of the writing on mobile and then correct it further on my laptop.  
> This chapter is mainly Jotaro visiting Kakyoin and getting used to everything after Egypt.

It was over. It was finally over.

No more fighting. No more stress. No more enemy stands. No more weeks without a shower.

Jotaro sat with his grandfather in the back of the ambulance. The nurses on board were fussing over Joseph in an almost frenzy. Jotaro was thankful that their attention was off of him for a moment. He needed a moment to breathe.

He had killed Dio. The man who killed so many innocent people. The man who stole his great grandfather's body to survive at the bottom of the ocean for so long. Most importantly, the man who almost killed his family and friends.

The ambulance arrived at the hospital about fifteen minutes after Joseph 'woke up'. They rushed him in the second the car stopped. Joseph could be considered a medical mystery now, one that no one wanted to let slip away. Jotaro sat in the ambulance still, the pain of his injuries was starting to set in.

"Mr. Kujo?" Jotaro looked over to see one last nurse still in the back of the ambulance.

"I'm sorry for pulling you from your thoughts, but I'd like to get you inside to get those wounds treated. Can you walk?" She asked tentatively.

"Yes. Let's hurry if we can. The pain is coming back,” Jotaro barely finished his sentence before the nurse started to pull him from his seat.

The nurse gently guided Jotaro down a series of hallways until they arrived at a room with an empty bed. The curtain was drawn and it was quiet, so he couldn't be sure if there were other occupants in the room. The way his shirt was rubbing against his open cuts was more distracting.

"I'll leave you to undress and I'll be back in a few minutes,” The nurse handed him a hospital gown and said her temporary goodbyes.

Jotaro took his jacket off and winced. Those knives cut deeper than he realized. After he pulled his shirt free from himself, he studied it a little bit. There was a lot of blood staining the fabric. It was once his favorite shirt, but oh well to that. He set his clothes down on the counter beside his bed.

Jotaro heard movement from the other side of the curtain. Not even a second later, Star Platinum was out and ready to fight. Jotaro threw the curtain open and was greeted to a horrible surprise.

It was Kakyoin. He was asleep, but his injuries were what sent a cold shock through Jotaro. He looked like absolute shit. It was only after he looked over Kakyoin's injuries in despair that he heard the gentle beeps and hums of the machines, confirming that Kakyoin was indeed still alive.

He made his way over to the sleeping figure as quietly as he could. He stood far back enough to take in the full view of Kakyoin once more. Kakyoin held himself with a certain level of poise. Seeing him look so crumpled in the hospital bed didn't sit well with Jotaro. Jotaro wanted to wake him up, if he saw his eyes and heard his voice it would help ease his overly frayed nerves. But Kakyoin's recovery was more important now.

Kakyoin started to toss and turn. His face was scrunched up in pain. He started to hyperventilate and reach out for something. Jotaro was at Kakyoin’s side in an instant and started to gently shake him, still being mindful of his injuries.

"Kakyoin. Kakyoin, please wake up,” Kakyoin's reaching hands finally settled on Jotaro's bare arms. His eyes shot open, Jotaro couldn't help but take note of the tears he saw. What was he dreaming about?

"Jotaro, where are we?" Kakyoin croaked out. It broke Jotaro's heart to hear him like that, but at least he was alive. Kakyoin cleared his throat and spoke again.

"Jotaro why are you half-naked?" Kakyoin's sudden question threw Jotaro off. He pulled his hat down to conceal a slight blush.

"We're in the hospital. I was changing so they could look me over,” By now Kakyoin let go of Jotaro so he could stand up straight. Seeing Kakyoin's smile helped ease him.

Kakyoin tried to sit up but was immediately greeted with pain. He scrunched his face up again and settled back down. He looked over Jotaro's injuries and gasped in shock. He’s never seen Jotaro look so...bloody before. It was a jarring sight when compared to the sterile white of the hospital room.

"Jojo you should call a nurse in. You're still bleeding pretty bad,” Kakyoin coughed and winced.

"You idiot, you need more morphine,” Jotaro reached over to the call button and hit it twice. He grabbed a nearby chair and sat as close as he could to Kakyoin's bedside.  
"Jotaro...I'm really happy we all made it out alive," Kakyoin closed his eyes. A small smile was playing on his face.

"Same here," Jotaro wasn't the overall best at expressing his emotions, but he hoped Kakyoin understood his curt answer. He and the Crusaders held a special place in his heart.

"Especially you, Jotaro. I think you're my best friend?"

"Can't say I've ever had a best friend before, so consider yourself the first," Jotaro leaned back and Kakyoin's hand shot out to grab on to Jotaro's. Jotaro shot a questioningly look to Kakyoin.

Kakyoin blushed and looked over, "I'm sorry, I thought you were leaving. I just really don't want to be alone right now. Is this okay?" Jotaro wordlessly flipped his hand over to better grasp Kakyoin's. Kakyoin squeezed Jotaro's hand weakly, but that was probably all he could muster. He settled back down into the pillows and closed his eyes.

"Jojo..thank you. I'm so happy you're okay," And with that, he lost consciousness. Jotaro would’ve panicked if the gentle beeps and hums weren’t still quietly going.

Jotaro didn't move until he was forced to by the same nurse who brought him here. Rather than question why Jotaro was shirtless and holding hands with Kakyoin, she questioned   
Jotaro on Kakyoin's health. If he woke up, was he showing signs of pain, only questions about his health and well-being. Her kind nature and willingness to help was appreciated by Jotaro.

After Kakyoin received more treatment, she finally started on Jotaro. He laid down, still in his pants and shoes, and let her get to work. In all, it took about 20 minutes to treat all of his wounds. She stood back and started collecting her cleaning supplies. The nurse told Jotaro that Kakyoin had been unconscious since he arrived at the hospital a week ago. They weren’t sure when he’d wake up.

"My job here is done. The doctor will be in shortly to get you stitched up. Try not to move this time, Mr. Kujo." She smiled at him and left the room.

Jotaro cast another look at Kakyoin. Even though he looked like hell, Jotaro was beyond happy that he was alive. He fell asleep before the doctor came in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About a week after Jotaro checked in, the doctors told him he was free to go. He could resume his normal life since he only had stitches. He just needed to take it easy and he’d be fine. The doctor told Jotaro that he needed to come back in about a week or so to get the stitches removed. They said he would have some scarring, but Jotaro didn’t care since they’d be covered by his shirt.

The Speedwagon Foundation, thanks to Joseph making a phone call, gifted Kakyoin a tv, a gaming console, a few games, and some art supplies. Kakyoin tried to refuse it all until Jotaro pointed out that he would be rather bored in here by himself, so he might as well accept the gifts.

“So you’re really going back to school?” Kakyoin asked a few hours after everything was set up. He propped himself up using the bed and pillows to better see Jotaro.

“I might as well since I can’t stay here all day,” Jotaro was sitting down on his own bed facing Kakyoin. He wasn’t ready to go back to his old life yet. Not when Kakyoin was still here in this bed.

“Would you be willing to take notes for me? I know it’s a lot to ask, but-“

“Sure. I’m sorry in advance if my handwriting is messy, though,” Jotaro pulled his hat down to hide his minor embarrassment about his penmanship. He never had a reason to try and make it legible until now.

“Thanks, Jojo! Who knew it took someone being in the hospital for the badass Kujo Jotaro to go to school?” Kakyoin teased him.

“Shut up,” Jotaro pulled his hat down further and Kakyoin laughed. Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

“Hello, boys,” it was the nurse who helped Jotaro on his first day here, “Mr. Kujo, if you have everything together, I’m afraid that visiting hours are over for the day.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow at 3:30,” Jotaro stood up reluctantly and sighed.

“Thank you again, Jojo. I’ll see you tomorrow!” Kakyoin didn’t want Jotaro to leave, but this gives him a chance to try out his new games.

Jotaro followed the nurse down the same series of hallways. Now that he wasn’t rushing around, he took the time to memorize the way back to Kakyoin’s room for tomorrow. Whether or not he liked it, Jotaro was checking out. He felt terrible about leaving Kakyoin alone, despite him having forms of entertainment now.

“I can sense that you’re nervous about Mr. Kakyoin. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he’s safe and sound,” The nurse smiled up at Jotaro reassuringly. He’d never admit it, but he was grateful that someone outside of his small circle of friends was on his side.

When he got home about an hour later, Jotaro was instantly pulled in to a tight hug from his mother. His shirt got wet from his mother’s tears. Holly looked up at her son with a smile on her face. She said that Joseph called her a few days ago from the hospital and told her everything. She was so happy that Jotaro was safe and back home.

“Jotaro you’re the best son in the whole world! What other mom can say that her son risked his life for her?” She pulled back and wiped her tears away.

“That shouldn’t be something any mother should say,” Even though he seemingly brushed it off, Jotaro was beyond relieved that his mother was back to normal.

“Oh! Papa also said I should show you this,” Jotaro saw those dreaded purple vines pop up over his mother’s shoulders and felt a violent bought of panic wash over him. Did they fail on their mission?

“Papa said it’s called a Stand. Now that Dio is dead, it’s not harming me at all! He said you have one called Star Platinum, that’s such a cute name!” Jotaro pulled his hat down to hide his face. Star Platinum materialized beside him and hugged his mother tightly.

“How did you do that on your own? Never mind. Good grief,” He waved off Star Platinum and started heading to his room.

“I’m going to sleep. I’m going to school tomorrow,” Jotaro felt his exhaustion set in.

“Jotaro that’s great to hear! I never thought you’d take your studies seriously. Goodnight, I’ll see you in the morning!” Holly waved goodnight to her son.

In the privacy of his room, Jotaro changed into his sleepwear which was comprised of a tight black tank top and long black pants. He laid down and let his mind wander now that he was alone.

His thoughts eventually found their way to Kakyoin. He wasn’t sure when this weird feeling started, but he couldn’t ignore it anymore. It wasn’t unpleasant, just odd. Anytime he thought about Kakyoin, he felt this wave of what could only be described as protectiveness wash over him. He wanted to be there for his best friend in any way that he could. He wanted to make sure he was eating and sleeping properly. Most importantly, he wanted to make sure he was always laughing or smiling or cracking jokes. All signs that he was okay. Jotaro wasn’t used to feeling much for others. At least not in this way.

Out of habit from Egypt, Jotaro summoned Star Platinum to stand guard while he slept.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the days that followed Jotaro’s return to society, Jotaro felt weird. He wasn’t the same person anymore. His mother was trying to make this weirdness the new normal. Maybe he’ll never get used to Stands, but that’s just fine. So long as he wasn’t being attacked, having the Stands around didn’t phase him.

No, what was weird was how alone he felt without everyone. He became used to the Crusaders always being around him. He kept Star Platinum out while he was at school so he’d have something pleasantly familiar with him. It was a strange comfort, but comfort nonetheless.

Each day at 3:00, Jotaro hurriedly packed his things and darted out of the school. It wasn’t as if Kakyoin would be mad if he was late, Jotaro was just excited to go back and see his best friend. He was worried about him being alone in the hospital room with no one to talk to. He doesn’t want Kakyoin to feel as if he’s all alone again.

He’d get to the hospital at 3:30 each day, give or take, and bust out his notes for Kakyoin to look over. Jotaro would help Kakyoin as best as he could with the homework he brought from his teachers.

Eventually, the other Crusaders starting visiting Kakyoin once a week. Jotaro loved these days because Kakyoin was always laughing and smiling.

“Mr. Joestar, how did you get used to your prosthetic? Mine feels a bit stiff,” Avdol and the others sat around Kakyoin’s bed.

Joseph flexed his hand and moved it around, “To be fair, I’ve had mine way longer than yours! Honestly, it just takes practice,” Joseph grabbed a glass cup from Kakyoin’s bedside and took a drink. Avdol tried to do the same, but Polnareff stopped him and handed him a plastic one instead.

“Don’t rush it, you’ll get there,” Polnareff said with a smile, “Besides, I don’t want to clean up broken glass.” Avdol laughed and agreed with the Frenchman.

“I know you’re right, but I still hate it,” Avdol took a shaky drink and the conversations resumed.

Jotaro fell into an easy groove of going to school for Kakyoin, hanging out with him until he was forced to leave, and then chatting with him on the phone until they passed out. On the weekends, Kakyoin would try his best to teach Jotaro how to play a variety of games. He hoped Kakyoin was released sooner rather than later so they could hang out whenever they wanted. He at least wants to beat him in one video game.


	2. Chapter 2.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakyoin and Jotaro missed too much school and are faced with repeating the year. They also now get an early summer. The boys hang out way more often now that there are no outside obligations. 
> 
> This chapter is shorter, I think, but there's some quality fluff going down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still working on that indent issue. But I'm not working today, so you guys get two updates! Normally, I'll try to have these posted on a weekly basis.

"Jotaro! Can you come out here for a second?" Jotaro awoke groggily. It was ten in the morning on a Saturday. What did his mother want at this hour?

Jotaro made his way over to where his mother was calling him from the kitchen table. In her hands was a letter. Jotaro sat across from her, curious as to what the letter said.

"Jotaro, this letter says that you're failing your classes," Jotaro reached over and grabbed the letter from his mother's hands. It said that no matter what Jotaro did, he was going to have to repeat the grade. He was expecting a letter of expulsion, so this was preferable.

"I expected this. I missed a lot of school when we had to leave for Egypt," Jotaro tossed the letter on the table. He could feel his mother's eyes on him and looked up to meet them.

"Jotaro. It says that you were already failing well before that. What have you been doing when you leave every day?" Holly sounded serious. Jotaro knew he was in some trouble.

"I did go to school, but if I got into any fights I would leave. I wouldn't be in the mood to deal with any more bullshit," Jotaro leaned back in his chair. It sounded bad, but Jotaro could only handle so much stupidity throughout the day.

"Jotaro, do you not care about your future? You're so smart and you're throwing it all away!" Jotaro watched as his mother's Stand started to react to her anger. It started to slowly rise up from her back.

"I get that you don't like a lot of people. I get that maybe school isn't for you. But to get anywhere in this world you need an education! Jotaro why would-" Holly started to cry and her Stand retreated, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to yell or sound ungrateful for what you did in Egypt. It just makes me sad to think about-"

"Mom, it's fine. I'll try my hardest next year, okay? I didn't mean to make you upset," Jotaro leaned forward and patted her hand. After Egypt, Jotaro learned to appreciate his caring mother more. Holly lit up almost instantly and jumped up to hug her son.

"Oh, Jotaro! Thank you. You're my favorite son!"

"What?"

"Oh nevermind. Tonight I'll make your favorite for dinner, okay? You should get going. Kakyoin is waiting for you," Jotaro hadn't realized, but 30 minutes had gone by. He was late.

Jotaro ran back into his room and quickly got dressed. He would've tripped over himself if Star wasn't so quick to react. He sped through brushing his hair and ran to the front door to throw his shoes on.

"Jotaro! Before you leave, I have something for Kakyoin." She handed Jotaro some food. There were two homemade bento boxes and something that was wrapped up.

"I made you two a cake. It's cherry-flavored, for Kakyoin. Tell me if he likes it," Jotaro's mother smiled warmly at him and sent him on his way with a hug.

Jotaro would've run if he wasn't worried about dropping everything. He made his way as quickly as he could over to the hospital. He didn't even bother signing in anymore. the staff knew him, and today his hands were full. He headed towards Kakyoin's floor at a brisk pace. If anyone was in his way they were for sure going to get trampled. 

After summoning Star to open the door, Jotaro peered inside to find it empty. He set everything down on the bed he used to occupy and scoped the surroundings. He used Star to help him search around. All of his belongings were there, but not Kakyoin himself. Was he in another surgery? Did he move rooms? Was he still ali-

"Hey, Jojo," Kakyoin said as he exited the bathroom. Jotaro felt stupid for not remembering that humans need bathroom breaks and Kakyoin was very much human. 

Jotaro watched as Kakyoin was lowered back into a wheelchair and hurriedly brought back to his bed. All by that same, friendly nurse. 

"Mr. Kujo! Just in time. Help me lift up your buddy, would you? He cant be off of the machines for too long," Together, they hoisted Kakyoin back on to his bed.

"Thank you, Ms. Kea. As always, I really do appreciate all of your help," Kakyoin gave her a smile and settled back into his nest of pillows.

"Kakyoin, you're a pleasure to have as a patient. I'll be back in a few hours to check on you two. So long!" With a cheery farewell, the boys were alone once more.

"I thought you weren't coming. You're usually never late to see your best buddy," Kakyoin was back to teasing Jotaro. All signs of a healing, kind of healthy, Kakyoin.

Jotaro pulled his chair over and grabbed the bento boxes, "I did wake up late, but mom wanted to talk to me about something before I left," He passed Kakyoin the green bento and Jotaro took the blue one. 

"Oh wow, did she make these herself? By hand?" Kakyoin started to eat some of the home-cooked meal and moaned in delight. It was by far better than any of the hospital food he had been eating lately. 

"I'm glad you like it. I'll let her know," Jotaro sat down and heard the crinkling of paper. He removed a letter from his back pocket and inspected it. His mother must've slipped it back there when she hugged him goodbye this morning. Kakyoin was sitting up but was too lost in the food to notice any of this, so he silently read the note to himself.

"This is for Kakyoin. I picked it up for him. Well, the principal insisted I take it. He assumed you two were close since you both disappeared from school at the same time. I think you're the best person to tell him.- Love, Mom," It was a letter from the school board. It most likely said the same thing Jotaro's letter said this morning. He hid it from Kakyoin. He'll tell him after they eat.

"Jotaro your mom is the best cook ever. If she made any more food I couldn't eat another bite," Kakyoin laid back down and sighed in content.

"She also made you a cherry-flavored cake. I'll just throw it-"

"Jojo bring the cake forward. I have plenty of room for cake," Jotaro laughed to himself and handed him a piece on a napkin. Kakyoin was once more lost in the food that was made for him. Jotaro made a mental note to ask his mom to cook them more food. 

After they were done and Jotaro cleaned everything up, Kakyoin asked what his mom wanted to talk to him about. 

"A letter from the school came in. It said I'd have to repeat the grade," Kakyoin gasped in horror, "I already expected this. I was never Student of The Year, and then Egypt happened. It was inevitable,"

"Since we're on the subject, you got a letter, too," Jotaro handed Kakyoin his letter. Kakyoin stared at it for a brief moment and then started to laugh.

"I assumed you'd be a bit more upset about this," Jotaro sat back in his chair, ready for the worst.

"No no. It's funny that they even remembered I was enrolled in the first place. I was there for less than a day," Kakyoin had a fair point.

"Won't that hurt your GPA?"

"Once I show them my hospital papers, I think I'll be in the clear. My GPA might still suffer, but it will prove that I never dropped out or anything. Keep yours so you can prove that you also didn't drop out...unless you're planning to?" Kakyoin asked genuinely.

"No, I promised my mom I'd try my hardest next year. She was pretty mad at me this morning," Jotaro pulled his hat down to hide his expression. He felt awful for making his mom so upset. 

"Look at the bright side. We have an early summer now!" Kakyoin said with a bright smile.

"Good. I was hating trying to go back to normal," Jotaro sighed at the memory of daily school life. 

"It's just not the same anymore. Dio ruined, well, just about everything he could. Once I get out of here, it's going to be so weird trying to readjust," Kakyoin said quietly. They were both silently thinking about all that Dio did to them.

"What games have you been playing lately?" Jotaro used the first thing he saw as a subject changer.

This launched Kakyoin into a game called Final Fantasy. Jotaro tried his best to understand the plot, but he still felt lost. He let Kakyoin start up the system, using Heirophant, and watched as he played. Jotaro used Star to scoot their beds closer so he can watch the gameplay a bit better. Even though Jotaro didn't get the central plot, he was still just as happy watching and listening to Kakyoin get excited when a cut scene happened. 

After some time, Ms. Kea came in to check up on Kakyoin. She gave him his medicine and checked his vitals. 

"Still doing good, Kakyoin! Keep it up! Also, magic works better on that enemy, not swords," She said after studying the screen.

"You've played this?" Jotaro asked in surprise.

"Kind of. This one is a remaster of a previous game, so I remember how to beat this from the older game," She sounded proud to have been able to relate to the boys.

"Ms. Kea you just got even cooler. I'll be sure to call for you if I get stumped again,"

"Anytime," Kakyoin gave her a high-five, "I'll be back when visiting hours are over, See you two later!" She gathered her things and left. Kakyoin was giddy at the thought of how it was cool to have unlimited access to all of the harder bosses.

"You should try to beat it fairly first. It would feel better that way, right?"

"Well yes, but this is a long game and I really want to see the end," Kakyoin said sheepishly.

"I don't want to hear it when you regret it," Jotaro said with a small smile.

"Want to play a different game with me?" Kakyoin asked after a moment of thought.

"Like what?" Jotaro leaned closer to him to look at his game collection.

"A racing game maybe? No no, you seem like the type to be into fighting games. How does this sound?" Kakyoin held up a game case that read 'Mortal Kombat'

Without hesitation, Jotaro agreed. They played together for what felt like hours. They were each trying out the different characters and setting up for each other little challenges; Like who could get in the most hits before the timer went off, or who could kill the other the fastest. Jotaro couldn't remember the last time he had that much fun. Kakyoin admitted before they started that he wasn't the most skilled at fighting games, so Jotaro felt like he had a fair shot at winning. In the end, Kakyoin won because he knew more combos than Jotaro.

"Jojo I'm proud of you! You got in way more kills than I thought you would!" Kakyoin was half-joking, half impressed.

"Just you wait, next time I'll completely kick your ass," Jotaro smirked. He sounded confident, but he honestly just got lucky this time around. They heard a knock at the door.

"Hey, boys! Mr, Kujo, you already know what time it is. I'll see you tomorrow!" Jotaro liked that she trusted him enough to follow the rules. That wasn't to say that he wouldn't eventually break them, but the thought was nice. 

"You forgot. Not only do I have experience under my belt, but I have all day and night to practice," Kakyoin had a mischievous look in his eye. Suddenly Jotaro felt like he'd never beat him in any video game.

"You'd better get going. The staff hates stragglers," Kakyoin held up his hand for a high five.

"So we're doing this now?" Jotaro amused Kakyoin and gave him a high five. Kakyoin instead just held on to his hand.

"No, I've just missed how you would hold my hand. It helped me sleep. It kept bad thoughts from plaguing my mind," Before Jotaro could reply, he heard approaching footsteps. 

"Shit. I'll see you later," Kakyoin nodded, already knowing what Jotaro was about to do.

Jotaro froze time again. He was thankful that his literal survival didn't depend on it. He ran out of the hospital as fast as he could. When time began to move again, Jotaro was already outside. He sighed in relief and started to walk back home. He decided to smoke on his way back. The past few days had been so busy, he hadn't gotten the chance. 

He eventually made it back home. He greeted his mother and told her that Kakyoin really liked the food she made. Overjoyed, she said she'll make him whatever he wants, whenever he wants.

"I'll see you tomorrow. I'm beat," Jotaro headed off to his room until his mother called him back.

"Papa said he wants to celebrate an American holiday with everyone! It's going to happen next weekend! We're all going to spend the holidays together. Well except for Mama...I'm going to go call her." Holly was excited to spend more time with her father. She bounced off to go and call Jotaro's grandmother. Jotaro covered his face with his hat and headed off to his room He was also excited for the upcoming weekend. He never expresses it, but he enjoys any time he spends with Crusaders. 

The next few days seemed to fly by. He woke up, went to spend all day with Kakyoin, would smoke on the walk home, and then call Kakyoin. Holly took it upon herself and decided to cook for 'her two boys' every day. Jotaro started to help her make everything after the second day. He wasn't the best, but he followed his mother's instructions and it seemed to turn out okay. Kakyoin felt bad about Jotaro and his mother going out of their way to cook for him every day, but Jotaro shut down any arguments Kakyoin had. 

"But Jotaro, I'm sure you have better things to do!"

"I literally come here every day, by choice, get my ass kicked in video games, and then do it all over again the next day. It's not like I have some secret friends I'm aching to see. Stop worrying so much," Jotaro was half-joking but was also sort of serious. He was happy he could at least give Kakoin something to look forward to each day. 

The following weekend finally came around. Joseph showed up bright and early to scoop up his daughter and grandson for what he had planned for today. 

"Papa!" Holly jumped into her father's arms for a tight hug. 

"Holly! I've missed you!" Joseph returned the tight hug and looked over to his grandson, "Jotaro, how have you been holding up?" Jotaro pulled his hat down. Star Platinum materialized beside him and hugged his grandfather.

"I've been doing okay," Jotaro gave up on trying to control his stand when he was like this. Star and Jotaro flawlessly executed battle plans. But when Star wanted to hug people? Jotaro could barely do a thing to stop him. He was thankful it didn't happen often.

"Haha, I see! Are you two ready to go? We have a few things to buy before we all head over," Joseph said this is a way that made Jotaro suspicious.

"What do you mean 'we'? Don't tell me-"

"Jotaro! Mon Ami, I've missed you!" Polnareff pulled Jotaro into a tight hug.

"We all literally saw each other last week. Good grief," Jotaro mumbled against Polnareff's chest. He gave up on trying to fight all of the hugging that's apparently scheduled for today.

"I don't get a hug?" Avdol entered finally made his appearance. Jotaro could feel where this was going.

He once more used Star Platinum to freeze time. This was way too much hugging for nine in the morning. He slipped out of Polnareff's embrace and settled down at the kitchen table. When time resumed, everyone was confused for only a brief moment. 

"Jotaro! You can't get away from a group hug that easily!" Holly sang out from the next room. Jotaro sighed and accepted his fate. He can kill a vampire, but he can't escape unwarranted hugging. 

After the forced group hug, they piled into a car that Joseph rented for the day. Polnareff and Iggy seemed to be best friends now. When they all climbed inside the car, Iggy jumped on to Polnareff's hair and he didn't mind one bit. They first went to the store to purchase snacks. That took about an hour because everyone wanted different things and no one could decide on what to get. Jotaro wandered off and decided to pick up some fresh cherries for Kakyoin. Jotaro didn't really want anything for himself, and if he was hungry later he'll just eat whatever the group bought. 

After they cashed out and left, it took another hour to reach the hospital. They got stuck in a traffic jam and arrived by 11:30. They all had to sign in, save for Jotaro because he was here every day, and they made their way to Kakyoin's room. They knocked and heard Kakyoin give the okay to come in. Kakyoin was drawing, but when he saw everyone his eyes lit up and the sketchbook was discarded. One by one they all hugged Kakyoin and gave him warm smiles.

"Kakyoin! It's so good to finally meet you!" Holly said with a big smile on her face.

"Same to you, Mrs. Kujo-"

"Kakyoin you're like my second son. If anything, just call me Holly." Kakyoin blushed and nodded. Jotaro smirked at the reaction because he knew Kakyoin was going to have a hard time calling his mother by her first name alone.

"W-well, it's great to finally meet you in person, Mrs. Holly." Holly laughed and said that's okay, too. Kakyoin's smile never left his face. He felt more loved now than he ever had before. 

Once everyone got settled, Joseph announced that in America, they celebrate a holiday called Memorial Day. It's a day to remember the fallen soldiers who died fighting to protect their country. As sad is it sounded, Joseph assured them that it was a fun time for everyone. Holly backed him up by telling them of her childhood filled with pretty fireworks and sparklers.

"But, since we all cant travel back to the States, we're going to celebrate it here instead!" Joseph hooked up a cable box to Kakyoin's tv and flipped to a channel showing a broadcast from the States, and everyone was indeed celebrating. 

The hours flew by and everyone was having a good time. Jotaro sat close to Kakyoin to make sure he was okay, but the entire time, Kakyoin never stopped smiling or laughing. It put him at ease. Holly made a quick lunch/dinner for everyone using the ingredients they all purchased.

"What about the visiting hours?" Jotaro asked. Everyone seemed to forget that they should've been kicked out by now, seeing as how the sun had already set. 

"I took care of that," Avdol piped up, "I pulled some strings and we're allowed to stay until midnight," He sounded pretty proud of himself.

"Thank you, Avdol. It's great having everyone here," Kakyoin said with a smile.

"You bribed them, didn't you?" Jotaro said from Kakyoin's side.

"Well of course. Well, it was more the Speedwagon Foundation, but they don't need to know that," Everyone laughed and continued eating.

"Here. I picked these up for you today," Jotaro said quietly to Kakyoin as he produced his cherries. 

"Thank you, Jojo! Oooh, these are fresh," Kakyoin said after he deeply inhaled their scent. 

"I'm going to wait to eat these. I know I eat them in an odd way and I don't want to scare anyone," Kakyoin said this while looking at Jotaro's mom. Jotaro chuckled and set them aside for Kakyoin. Joseph called the group to attention.

"Everyone look! The show is starting!" Joseph turned the volume up on the tv and they all watched in excitement. 

Jotaro didn't like the loudness that fireworks brought, but he did like the colors. Kakyoin leaned over and admitted to Jotaro that he's never seen fireworks before. His parents were always too busy to take him and he never had friends to go with to any festivals. Jotaro grabbed his hand, hidden from view, and gave it a squeeze. He hoped that Kakyoin got the silent message. He was trying to say that Kakyoin would never be alone on any holidays ever again. Not if Jotaro could help it.

The two held hands and watched the display with everyone else. Everyone cheered along with the crowds, the excitement almost palpable. Kakyoin may have still been in the hospital, but at that moment with everyone else, he felt like everything was normal. Like maybe he was far away in the comfort of a home. Jotaro for once didn't mind the sound of the fireworks. Everyone in that room felt the excitement from the fireworks and peace. They were a little family now.


	3. Chapter 3.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakyoin has to start physical therapy and has mixed feelings about it. The boys have a heart to heart about Jotaro. Kakyoin doodles a certain someone with out him knowing. Yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will definitely have some hurt/comfort. Jotaro will start to slowly peel away at some of his layers in hopes to better help Kakyoin.

Jotaro made his normal commute to the hospital. It was a cloudy day, but there wasn't rain in the forecast. He decided to smoke on the way there out of force of habit. He was carrying more food for Kakyoin, mainly because he enjoyed cooking for him, but also because the food at the hospital wasn't the best. 

He made his way to Kakyoin's room to find Ms. Kea there with a clipboard. Whatever he just walked in on, it seemed to be serious. The atmosphere seemed to be riddled with anxiety.

"Hello there, Mr. Kujo," She didn't even look up from her notes. Jotaro should've been surprised, but he did visit Kakyoin every day.

"Alright, I'll see you two in a few hours. Try to get some rest, Kakyoin. Enjoy your food!" Ms. Kea said cheerfully and left. 

Jotaro pulled up his usual chair and sat by Kakyoin. Kakyoin instinctively reached out for Jotaro's hand, who in turn latched on tightly.

"Is it bad?" Joraro tried to sound nonchalant for Kakyoin's sake. Inside he was nervous that they told him something horrible.

"No, nothing like that," Jotaro let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, "They told me that I have to start physical therapy tomorrow, now that I can be off of the machines. I'm nervous as hell about it," Kakyoin tried to laugh it off and failed. Jotaro could see that he was anxious about it, but he didn't understand why.

"This is good, right? Physical therapy is another step towards being healed," Jotaro tried to understand where Kakyoin was coming from.

"While that's true, I haven't used my legs in so long. I feel like I may never be able to move around on my own ever again," Kakyoin sighed and leaned back against the pillows. He stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"Kakyoin," Jotaro didn't continue until Kakyoin looked him in the eye, "I've been trying to get you to understand something for a few weeks now. So long as I'm around you will never have to be alone ever again. Even if I'm not physically with you, I'll only be a phone call away. Hell, you also have my mom and grandfather. Avdol and Polnareff feel the same way. And I guess Iggy, if you consider him to be of quality company," Jotaro never spoke this way, so he hoped his words were crystal clear. He ended on a somewhat joke because he felt nervous about opening up. Kakyoin looked back at Jotaro with a face full of shock. Then a smile formed on his lips.

"Jotaro, we're friends, right?"

"Are we not best friends?"

"You know what I mean," Kakyoin rolled his eyes, "I have a weird favor to ask. You can say no and I won't be mad," He let Jotaro's hand drop. Jotaro got nervous again.

"Can you hug me? You can even use Star since he can get a better angle because he can float and all," Kakyoin let out an awkward laugh. Without another word, Jotaro stood up and hugged his best friend.

It was awkward at first, with both of them being sort of novice huggers. But eventually, Kakyoin sighed in content and leaned into the hug a little bit more.

"Is this okay?" Jotaro asked quietly. Mainly due to him being right next to Kakyoin's ear, but also because he wasn't sure about proper hug etiquette.

"I'd say you're doing just fine, Jojo," After a few more seconds, they pulled away. Jotaro sat back down and Kakyoin began spouting a flurry of words.

"I know that was an odd request, but thank you. It helped ease some of my anxiety. Every day I've been fretting about various things; Like if you'll come back to see me the next day, or if I'm stressing out the doctors because of my health," He fiddled with his long bang, awaiting Jotaro's response. 

"Kakyoin you're overthinking it. The doctors are doing their jobs to help you, the same as Ms. Kea. As for me, for as long as you're in here, I'll keep coming to see you. I've been having a lot of flashbacks lately, and some nightmares here and there. You help me remember that none of what's in my nightmares is true. We're all alive and still together."

"I've been getting those, too. I thought I was the only one," Kakyoin laughed nervously. 

"Dio has left a lasting impact on all of those he's come across. If you ask everyone else, I'm sure they're all going through the same things we are," Jotaro cleared his throat. He wasn't used to speaking so much. Or opening up to someone. It was a strange sensation, but not an unpleasant one. Not when the listener was Kakyoin.

"Jotaro, would you be there for my first therapy session? I'm sure they wouldn't mind. I wasn't going to ask because I don't want to seem weak to you, but I could use your comforting strength," Kakyoin waited with bated breath. Is it weird to ask someone to watch you try to walk?

"You helped kill a vampire. You're far from weak, you idiot," Kakyoin told him to shut up and they shared a laugh, "But sure. I'll be there. Don't stress about asking me to help you through this," Kakyoin nodded and smiled brightly.

They decided to play games and just talk some more. Jotaro used Star to scoot the beds closer once more. Jotaro unpacked the food that he and Holly made earlier and the two ate it when the match ended for whatever game they were playing.   
They described the nightmares they had where everyone was killed by Dio. They talked about how even though he was dead, and Jotaro made sure he was dead, that somehow Dio would come back and wreak havoc once more. Some things only time can heal. Kakyoin said that sometimes at night if they couldn't call and he couldn't sleep, that he'd have vivid panic attacks about his time with the flesh bud. He said during that time he could hear Dio's voice in his head. Thankfully Ms. Kea would rush in and calm him down, but he hated those nights the most.

"I'll call you every night from now on, regardless of anything else. I won't hang up until I know you're asleep," Jotaro sounded determined.

"There's no need for that. It's only happened a handful of times. I'll be okay, Jojo," Kakyoin flashed him a smile and Jotaro felt that weird feeling again. He lowered his hat and realized that all day today, that weird feeling has been there. He pushed it to the back of his mind once more when they heard a knock at the door. It was of course Ms. Kea.

"I'm not even surprised about the bed anymore. I just wish you would remember to push it back when you're done," Ms. Kea laughed and directed her attention to Kakyoin. 

"Are you ready for tomorrow, Kakyoin?"

"I am now. I'm still feeling nervous, but it's better to start sooner rather than later," Kakyoin shot a look to Jotaro, who was hiding his face. Underneath his hat, Jotaro had a small smile on his face. He was happy that in the end, he was able to help Kakyoin. 

"Excellent! Mr. Ku-"

"You can call me Jotaro," Ms. Kea's eyes lit up at hearing that.

"You finally trust me! Okay, Jotaro, it's time to close up shop. I take it you'll be here tomorrow?" Her eyes said they already knew the answer. So Jotaro just nodded.

"Sounds great, see you then!" She happily bounced out of the room.

"She's so weird. Nice, but weird," Jotaro shook his head and stood up.

"Jojo be nice!" Kakyoin laughed. They said their goodbyes and Jotaro left.  
Jotaro could honestly say that he felt like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. He didn't realize that he was carrying around so much tension caused by Dio.  
As promised, Jotaro stayed up later than he should have and made sure Kakyoin was asleep before he hung up. He didn't get much sleep that night, but he arrived in time to attend Kakyoin's first round of physical therapy. Ms. Kea greeted him and led the boys to a separate wing of the hospital. Jotaro noticed that this was a wing that seemed for therapy of all types. They walked into their designated room and Ms. Kea wheeled Kakyoin up to two metal bars on padded flooring. The task was simple, he just had to get from one end of the bars to the other. Kakyoin knew that due to the atrophy in his legs, this would be tremendously difficult.

"Jotaro I have a special task for you to do to help Kakyoin with this. I just need you to stand at the other end of the bars," She gestured at the end furthest from Kakyoin. Jotaro walked over and stood rooted in place.

"Kakyoin, I want you to think of this not as physical therapy, but as you just trying to walk up to Jotaro normally. Having a certain mindset can change the outcome of these sessions. Are you ready?" Kakyoin nodded and Ms. Kea wheeled him over to what was now the starting half of the bars.

"I want you two to know that I've made an exception. Normally during these sessions, only medical professionals are allowed in the room. That's because when family and friends are present, they want to help their loved one move around instead of letting them do it on their own so they can become independent again. But you two have a special kind of relationship and I think Jotaro's presence will help!" She then locked eyes with Jotaro, "So long as you promise not to intervene then you're more than welcome to attend these sessions! The second you break that one rule, unless I specifically ask you to step in, I'm afraid I'll have to kick you out. Deal?" Jotaro nodded. He wanted Kakyoin to be able to walk again just as badly as Kakyoin himself. 

Ms. Kea walked around to Kakyoin's front and gently pulled him out of the chair. She placed his hands on the metal bars and then ducked under the bars to make way for her patient. Kakyoin gripped on to the bars so tightly his knuckles turned white. He lowered his head and steadied his breathing. When he picked his head back up, he locked eyes with Jotaro. In his eyes, Jotaro only saw raw determination. Jotaro's chest was filled with admiration for Kakyoin. He really was stronger than he gave himself credit for. Very slowly, Kakyoin attempted his first step forward. It wasn't a large step forward, but it was still forward movement. Kakyoin's leg almost gave out and made him fall. He lowered his head again and grit his teeth, trying to steady himself. He picked up his other leg and tried to take another step forward. Jotaro was fighting himself to still stay In place. Even though Kakyoin needed this, it was a little hard for Jotaro to hear his grunts of strained effort and watch him actively struggle.

All in all, it took Kakyoin about twenty minutes to reach the halfway point. By then his legs did give out and he fell. Ms. Kea was quick to rush to his side. Regardless of whatever Kakyoin thought at that moment, Jotaro was proud of the progress he made on his first day of therapy.

"Kakyoin that was great! I've never had anyone make it that far on day one! I knew Jotaro would help you!" She gave Kakyoin a warm smile.

Out of breath, Kakyoin gave a shakey 'thank you'. Ms. Kea asked Jotaro to return Kakyoin to his chair while she went to get him some water. Jotaro walked over leaned down to Kakyoin.

"Did I look cool?" Kakyoin looked up at Jotaro and asked through a tired smile.

"Hell no. But I'm proud of you either way," Jotaro gave Kakyoin a small, but genuine smile.

"Let's hurry. I fell like Ms. Kea will kill us if she comes back and sees my ass not in that chair," At that thought, Jotaro and Star eased Kakyoin back into his chair. Not even a moment later, Ms. Kea walked back in. She gave Kakyoin the bottle of water and Kakyoin downed it like he was dying of thirst.

"Thank you, Jotaro. For this next part, I'll ask you to wait in the room. Kakyoin just needs to wash up real quick and then he's all yours!" 

"That's fine. I'll see you in a bit," They said their temporary goodbyes and Jotaro headed for the room. 

He got there and didn't know what to do with himself. He decided that Kakyoin had been through enough physical activity and straightened up his bed. He fixed the pillows and reoriented the covers. He then organized his games and wrapped up the controllers so they were orderly. Once he felt satisfied, Jotaro brought his chair over to Kakyoin's bed and sat down. He rested his head down on Kakyoin's bed, cradled by his arms. He allowed himself a quick nap before Kakyoin came back.

Fifteen minutes later, Kakyoin and Ms. Kea entered the room to see a sleeping Jotaro. Kakyoin laughed to himself and asked to stay in his chair so he wouldn't wake Jotaro up.

"Just have him help you back into bed when time's up. Goodnight!" She whispered and left Kakyoin to wheel himself to the other side of the bed, facing Jotaro.

Kakyoin pulled out his sketchbook from the drawer in his little nightstand and flipped to the first blank page he found. He grabbed his pencils and began to draw Jotaro in his sleep. He might be pissed off if he ever found out, but Kakyoin needed to draw Jotaro sleeping. His face was free of any traces of stress or anger. This rare peaceful Jotaro was the one Kakyoin had never seen before and refused to let the opportunity slip through his fingers. Jotaro has been spending every minute he can by Kakyoin's side, and he still called him every night. Kakyoin wished there was something he could do in return, but that'll have to wait until he was released from the hospital.   
Kakyoin had been drawing a lot more lately. Even on the nights when he couldn't sleep because of the nightmares and his mind was clouded. He was drawing when Jotaro called him at night, too. Being stuck in the hospital gave him a lot of free time. He would draw a lot of things from his trip with the Crusaders. A lot of landscapes and random memories filled the pages. Kakyoin was still trying to get down Polnareff's hair, but that was a project all on its own.

From drawing everyone so much, Kakyoin noticed that Joseph and Jotaro were identical in some ways. Their physic and head shape were eerily similar. But Kakyoin liked to draw Jotaro more than anyone else. It was his beloved hat. Hair can be pretty hard to draw sometimes, and since he did most of his drawing at night, his sleepiness made it more difficult. Kakyoin glanced back up at Jotaro to see that his hair was poking out a little because his hat had shifted. Kakyoin ripped out his current page and started on a new one.

Kakyoin spent maybe an hour total drawing Jotaro. He wanted to get the positioning down right. He didn't do any detailed linework, just enough to get down the basics. He closed his sketchbook for now and decided to wake up Jotaro. Kakyoin felt bad now that he got his drawing. Jotaro was going to be stiff when he woke up. He reached his hand over to gently run his fingers through Jotaro's hair because that was all he could reach.

Jotaro snapped his head up, but when he saw it was just Kakyoin, who looked a little spooked, he laid his head back down. 

"I'm sorry, Jojo. I don't mean to-" He was cut off by Jotaro grabbing his hand and placing it back on his hair.

"I don't care if you touch my hair," With that, Kakyoin took full advantage of the opportunity. 

Jotaro had surprisingly soft hair. Kakyoin ran both of his hands through the soft hair, working himself into massaging Jotaro's head. He assumed that no one had ever done this for Jotaro before. Jotaro looked at peace again, but Kakyoin knew he was awake. Unless the lights were playing tricks on his eyes, Kakyoin could see traces of a smile on Jotaro's face. With a sigh, he pulled away, which caused Jotaro to look up in confusion.

"Technically, I was supposed to wake you up when visiting hours were over. Or when I got tired, whichever came first," Kakyoin had a playful look in his eyes, "However, visiting hours ended about twenty minutes ago and I'm not tired. Care to keep me company?"

"Sure, but not in this stuffy room. You need fresh air," Jotaro stood up and stretched. Damn, his neck was sore already.

"Jotaro, what are you-" Jotaro froze time. He grabbed Kakyoin's chair by the handles and ran out of the room.

He runs as quickly as he can. When he feels time starting up again, he ducks into a random room. He didn't give himself time to catch his breath. He was honestly afraid that if they were somehow caught that he'd be banned from seeing Kakyoin at all. Sure, he could freeze time and do it anyway, but he prefers to be allowed to visit whenever he pleased at not just at night. 

Kakyoin had a grin on his face the entire time. He's missed this feeling. He's sneaking around, adrenaline pumping at the risk of being caught. The excitement was incredible. The only fun he's had lately was from visitors or video games, so this was a great change of pace. Turns out he really likes getting wrapped up in antics only the Joestars can bring.

Jotaro finally made it up to the roof. He wheeled Kakyoin up to the railing so he could look out on to the city. Jotaro leaned against the bars, just trying to catch his breath. Time resumed and Kakyoin gasped at the sight. He's been indoors for so long he'd forgotten what life looked like beyond the hospital window. 

Jotaro shrugged his jacket off and hung it on Kakyoin's chair. He was wearing a green t-shirt underneath his jacket, but even that felt like too much against the heat of his skin.

"Jojo, can I use this since you aren't?" Kakyoin gestured to the discarded jacket. He was slightly shivering. There was a slight nip in the air that he wasn't prepared for. 

Jotaro nodded but was inwardly panicking a little. He shouldn't have brought a hospital patient out into the cold. He wouldn't forgive himself if Kakyoin got sick.

"I know that look in your eyes, Jojo. Relax, I'll be okay if the cold hits me a little," Kakyoin gave him a reassuring smile and Jotaro felt that weird feeling again. Leave it to Kakyoin to treat a potential illness like nothing.

"Besides, it's a clear night tonight. The sky is beautiful," They both glanced up at the endless sea of stars. 

Jotaro enjoyed spending time with Kakyoin out of the hospital room. While he would never get tired of Kakyoin, he was tired of the hospital itself. It was a constant reminder that Kakyoin was in fact injured and had to be there.

"This reminds me of Egypt," Jotaro said quietly and Kakyoin hummed in agreement. Jotaro could feel Kakyoin's eyes on him and looked over to see him gently smiling at him.

"You've changed so much, you know? You used to never talk this much. That's not to say that you're suddenly a talkative person, but it's definitely an improvement on your social skills, or lack thereof," Kakyoin was teasing him, but he did have a point. 

"I've always lived under the assumption that people could read me if they paid attention. With you and everyone else, that's been the case. I want to try to talk a little bit more so that I'm better understood," Jotaro pulled his hat down. He was peeling back another layer of himself and wasn't used to it at all. 

"Obviously that excludes those annoying girls at school. They sure do love to fight over the attention they won't be getting from you," Jotaro chuckled and agreed with Kakyoin.

They kept on stargazing and enjoying the sounds of nightlife. That is until Kakyoin started to spout out facts about the constellations. Jotaro would hum in response to let Kakyoin know that he was listening, but he was still trying to see some of the constellations that Kakyoin was pointing out. Kakyoin was slowing down, slowly sinking deeper into Jotaro's jacket. He eventually dozed off. Jotaro waited a few extra minutes before he moved Kakyoin. He wanted him to fall into a deeper sleep before he moved him. 

When Jotaro felt like Kakyoin was asleep enough, he froze time once more and took the same path back to Kakyoin's room. Once there, he and Star gently laid Kakyoin down and tucked him in. In his sleep, Kakyoin burrowed further into the borrowed jacket. Jotaro decided to let him have it for the night. He didn't want to wake him up, and Kakyoin looked pretty comfortable in the oversized jacket.

Jotaro looked at Kakyoin's bedside clock and saw that it was almost two in the morning. He froze time and ran out of the hospital. His mother should be asleep, so he wasn't concerned about that. He was a little upset with himself for keeping Kakyoin up for that long. On the phone was different because Kakyoin was already in bed. But he kept Kakyoin out in the cold for way too long. He'll make Kakyoin another cake as an apology.

When he finally slipped back inside his own house, he was too tired to change out of what he was wearing and just fell asleep on his bed fully clothed. 


	4. Chapter 4.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakyoin's therapy is going swimmingly. Jotaro is asked a difficult question by Kakyoin. One of the boys has a flashback episode about Dio.  
> Jotaro does some reflection and comes to a realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's the day! The sun is shining, the tank is clean, and Jotaro is coming out of the closet! Stay tuned! 
> 
> {I accidentally refreshed my page while trying to open a new tab and lost all of the progress I made. This happened twice. The second time I made it farther and was in the groove (':  
> It won't stop me, but boy HOWDY did I want to cry!}   
> Also, you guys are so nice! The kudos and comments (any attention this fic gets) are all so wonderful, they make me want to continue on and push through any sleepiness I feel. Thank you all <3

Kakyoin was doing great with his therapy. Jotaro was with him for every session, watching his progress and cheering him on. Kakyoin was managing to take another step or two each time. Some days were better than others, but overall he was getting there. When the others came to visit him, Kakyoin would excitedly tell them that he was getting better each time. They all cheered him on and promised to celebrate once he was out of there. Even though Holly couldn't visit as often as she'd like, she would hear about Kakyoin's progress through Jotaro, who was trying to stick to his word about speaking just a little bit more. Every week, whether he had a successful session or not, Holly would bake Kakyoin something cherry themed to show her love and support. 

One day the boys were playing a fighting game and Kakyoin got Jotaro's attention. 

"Would you and Star be willing to help me on a little side project I've been thinking about?" Jotaro nodded, not wanting to look away from the screen for too long. He was winning, but not by much. 

"I've been thinking, I'd like for you and Star to help me out with some extra therapy on the side. It doesn't even have to be every day, we can start with just once a week," Jotaro paused the game and looked at Kakyoin.

"No. No way. I could end up doing more damage to you and you would be in here twice as long," Jotaro looked down at the discarded controllers. It's not that he didn't want to help Kakyoin, but he had thought about this already and there were too many ways that they could mess this up. 

"I've been doing pretty good, so far. It's like when athletes train vigorously every day to get the results they want. It's the same thing. I'm willing to put in more effort to be able to walk again," Jotaro looked up again to see that same determination in Kakyoin's eyes when he first started his therapy. He seems to have thought about this for long enough that a simple 'no' won't deter him. Jotaro didn't realize that he could be so stubborn. 

"The doctors have you at a set pace for a reason. I don't think we should disrupt that," Jotaro said with equal stubbornness.

"How about this; We can do a practice run. Nothing extreme, we can set the pace to match the one that Ms. Kea has for me. If you feel that it's getting too dicey, you can freeze time and put me back into bed and that'll be the end of it. Deal?" Kakyoin watched Jotaro mull it over. When he sighed, Kakyoin knew he had persuaded him.

"If I get even the slightest feeling that you're in pain, I'm pulling out," Kakyoin nodded excitedly and Jotaro made his way over.

They decided the best way would be for Hierophant to grip Kakyoin's legs, for additional support, and for Star to grip his hands and arms so he has something to balance with and walk against. When Kakyoin was settled, Jotaro made his way over to the wall behind the tv. It was about the same distance as the bars, so it was a familiar length for Kakyoin's legs.

"Are you ready?" Kakyoin asked with a nervous look in his eyes.

"You're the one walking. If you're having second thoughts we can stop now," Jotaro's offer got tossed aside by Kakyoin shaking his head.

"I'm a little nervous now that we're doing it, but I still want to at least try," Kakyoin had that look in his eyes and Jotaro knew there was no turning back now.

Kakyoin gripped Star's hands tightly and tried to take his first step forward. Jotaro felt how tightly Kakyoin was holding on through Star's hands, but Kakyoin was smiling through his shakey steps. He wasn't having Hierophant walk for him, but if he lost balance, he would have Hierophant correct it. Kakyoin took his time doing his steps now. He didn't want to hurt himself unsupervised and get a lot of questions about it. Kakyoin made it to the halfway point between himself and Jotaro and started to get a little nervous. Kakyoin was out of breath from the effort, but he wouldn't forgive himself if he quit now. 

"You're doing great. We can stop here if you'd like," Jotaro was starting to walk towards Kakyoin until he shook his head again.

"I think I can make it the full distance. I just need to catch my breath," Kakyoin gave him a reassuring smile and Jotaro pulled his hat down. That weird feeling was back because he was proud of Kakyoin for persevering through more therapy, even if it was self-inflicted.

Jotaro kept watching Kakyoin. He was monitoring his face. Even if he tries to hide any pain from Jotaro, it'll show on his face for a second, and that's all Jotaro would need to stop him from overdoing it. It took some time, and some additional convincing, but Kakyoin made it. He was covered in sweat and out of breath, but he smiled up at Jotaro in triumph. 

"Did I look cool now?" He was standing in front of Jotaro, trembling ever so slightly.

"You look exhausted," Kakyoin told him to shut up through a laugh, "But good job. You have every right to be proud of yourself," Jotaro placed a hand on Kakyoin's sweaty shoulder and recoiled almost instantly.

"Gross. I'm putting you back in bed and calling Ms. Kea to come- " Jotaro was cut off by the door opening. It was none other than Ms. Kea herself. She looked surprised to see Kakyoin out of bed and on the other side of the room. She entered the room fully and closed the door.

"What are you two doing?" She looked pretty mad at them. She crossed her arms and huffed, "You boys know better than to rush something like this! Kakyoin, if you felt like we were going too slow, you should've told me before going off and doing this on your own! Had anyone else but myself walked in, all three of us would be in some serious trouble. They would move Kakyoin to a heavily monitored room, you'd get a different nurse, and Jotaro would be banned from visiting," Neither of the boys knew what to say. Neither of them had thought about getting caught or the consequences. They mumbled out apologies and Ms. Kea shook her head. When she looked at them again, she had a smile on her face.

"Now that that's out of the way, Kakyoin I can't express how proud of you I am! You did it! You fully walked the distance and I'm so happy for you! But we need to give your legs a break. We'll pick back up tomorrow and try out this distance again," She left to get some water and a wheelchair. When she got back, she had Jotaro put Kakyoin in the wheelchair and she started asking Jotaro about Kakyoin's walking. 

"Aside from exhaustion, he seemed to do just fine. He might've overexerted himself, though," Jotaro was praying that she didn't ask just how Kakyoin managed to walk without any help from the bars. 

"Well, I was originally coming in with some good news of my own, but that'll have to wait until I get Kakyoin cleaned up. Be back soon!' She wheeled Kakyoin out and Jotaro was alone in the room.

He decided to head outside for a smoke break. At this point he didn't even care to continue smoking, he just wanted to finish off the pack he had bought. He walked outside and leaned against his usual tree. Halfway through the cigarette, he saw the other Crusaders get out of a car and make their way towards the entrance. Joseph was the first to see his grandson and they all started walking over. 

"Jotaro! Do you ever go home? You're here every day!" He hugged his grandson and pulled back with a smile.

"He has to go home, how else would he bring Kakyoin so much food every day? You're going to make him fat, you know," Polnareff teased him and Jotaro pulled his hat down. Maybe the weekly sweets had lead to Kakyoin being exhausted today.

"Then again, I'm sure Kakyoin is enjoying the company and tasty food. How are you two?" Avdol asked with a gentle smile.

"Let's all go inside, he'll want to tell you himself," Jotaro stomped out his cigarette and started to head back inside with everyone in tow. 

They only had to wait about ten minutes for Kakyoin and Ms. Kea to come back. She was used to the group just showing up at random and didn't even bat an eye at their presence. She wheeled Kakyoin to sit next to Jotaro and promised to check on him in a few hours.

"Kakyoin, I'm trusting you to make sure that the room is put back together before everyone leaves," Kakyoin laughed and told her not to worry.

"Wait, does Jotaro not pick up after himself when he visits?" Avdol asked.

"It's not that. He does clean up, but he never pushes the bed or chairs back. The doctors get so mad at him but they can never catch him, so they relay all of their ah, kind words, to me to tell him," She said this with a look in her eyes that said that she had given up on trying to get Jotaro to listen to her, but the doctors had not. 

"Don't worry, I'll make sure the room is perfect for you," Polnareff promised her, sealing it with a wink.

"I can kick his ass for you," Jotaro offered which made everyone laugh. Ms. Kea said her goodbyes and left.

"So, Kakyoin! We asked Jotaro about how you were doing and he wouldn't tell us. What happened today?" Joseph asked and everyone quieted down.

"Well, thanks to Jotaro I was able to walk today!" Kakyoin exclaimed this and everyone loudly congratulated him.

"How did Jotaro help?" Avdol asked.

"Not that the doctors would get it, but we used our Stands," Jotaro then went into detail on how they pulled off their stunt.

"Jotaro was against it, but it worked out fine in the end. Ms. Kea even gave me this, which she was planning to do regardless because I've been doing pretty well in therapy," Kakyoin pulled up his shirt to reveal a hefty back brace. 

While everyone else was rejoicing once again, Jotaro couldn't pull his eyes away from the bright white gauze that was poking out from underneath the grey brace. He knew that underneath was a still forming scar. He remembered the injury that lay below the surface; The one that almost killed Kakyoin. 

Suddenly Jotaro was there again. He just saw Kakyoin slam into that water tower, so sure that he was dead. His grandfather on the ground, lifeless. Dio was in front of him, laughing and gloating like there was no tomorrow. He was beyond outraged. How could his closest friends be dead? He was in denial that this was even happening. It was just some messed up dream he couldn't wake himself up from. 

He couldn't stop the panic that was slowly surfacing. He couldn't stop the feeling of despair in his stomach. He felt himself start to hyperventilate. His friends are dead. If he doesn't win this fight, he'll die along with everyone else. He needs to keep fighting, he has to-

"Jotaro! Jotaro snap out of it!" Joseph was shaking his shoulders, trying to bring him back to reality.

Jotaro blinked a few times and looked around. Everyone had so much concern on their faces, along with eyes full of understanding. But when Jotaro looked at Kakyoin, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. Kakyoin also had that look of understanding, but there were so many other emotions flitting across his face. Kakyoin eventually just looked down and focused his eyes on his lap. 

Joseph hugged his grandson tight. He told him that it's okay for these things to happen. The aftermath from Dio was expected, but you can only prepare so much. As Jotaro expected, everyone else admitted that they were all going through the same things but were trying their best to deal with it. The only one who remained silent was Kakyoin.

Everyone decided to watch movies for the remainder of the visit, as none of them wanted to think about Egypt. Iggy, who had become an expert in hiding in Polnareff's hair, decided to lay himself down on Kakyoin's lap and wouldn't budge. No one noticed Jotaro scoot his chair closer to Kakyoin's bed. No one saw him grab hold of Kakyoin's hand and grip it tightly. Well, Iggy did, but he didn't care. Kakyoin was actively watching whatever movies came on screen, but he never once looked over at Jotaro. 

Why wouldn't Kakyoin talk to him? Or at least look over? Jotaro let Kakyoin's hand drop and crossed his arms, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. He lowered his head and let his mind wander. He leaned back in his chair and blocked out everything around him. Ms. Kea did come back, but Jotaro was only vaguely aware of her presence. He still couldn't understand all of the emotions that Kakyoin's face held earlier. Whatever they all meant, Jotaro was the cause of it. Perhaps it was best if Jotaro took a break from visiting him for a few days. 

Just thinking that made his chest hurt. He rubbed at it, hoping to make the weird ache go away.

Eventually, visiting hours were over. Time flies when you're lost in thought. As promised, Polnareff made sure the room was put back together. Everyone checked up on Kakyoin before leaving. Avdol and Polnareff left the room first, Jotaro and Joseph behind them. Jotaro tried to say his normal goodbye, but Kakyoin wouldn't look at him still, which by now was pissing him off. How can he fix the problem when Kakyoin wouldn't tell him what was wrong?

"I'll meet you three at the car, I won't be long," Joseph pulled Jotaro aside and waved the others ahead. Avdol seemed to understand and pulled Polnareff along with him down the hallway. 

"I noticed that Kakyoin was acting a little off after what happened," Jotaro pulled his hat down reflexively, "But I don't think he's mad at you or anything. If anything, it seemed like he wants to talk to you alone," Joseph barely finished his sentence when looked down saw a familiar green tentacle wrap it's self around Jotaro's ankle.

"I told you! Go on and find out what happened, we'll catch up later," Joseph smiled and ran off to catch up with the others, leaving Jotaro to follow the tentacle back to Kakyoin's room. 

When he entered, he saw Kakyoin sitting up with his legs dangling over the edge of the bed. His face carried all of that same whirlwind of emotions he was feeling before. Jotaro pulled up his chair and sat in front of Kakyoin. He waited for Kakyoin to feel comfortable before asking any questions.

"I'm sorry. You didn't do anything wrong, it was all me," Kakyoin sighed and closed his eyes. 

"I ignored you because I was feeling a lot at once. I felt guilty for triggering you like that. I was infuriated at Dio for being an evil bastard; If he was a normal child, none of us would be like this now. Most importantly, I felt sad that you had to go through any of what we went through. The look that was on your face, I put it there. At that moment, I wanted to be the one to make it all better because that's what you do for me," Kakyoin looked him the eyes and Jotaro saw that he looked angry and a little sad.

"I've never seen you like that before, and it scared me a little. It makes me hate Dio even more," Kakyoin balled his hands into fists and looked back down.

"We're all going through it. It's okay. I didn't expect it either. I haven't given your injuries much thought because I'm sent out of the room or I'm not here when they're being treated," Jotaro looked down at his lap and felt Kakyoin's eyes on him. 

"I relived that night. I saw you and the Old Man dead. I heard Dio, I-" Jotaro cleared his throat and continued, "I couldn't get out of the memory, it felt too real. When I snapped out of it, I was relieved that everyone was okay, but I felt shitty that everyone had the same look of panic and worry on their faces because of me. It's not something I want to get used to," Jotaro crossed his arms and kept his head down.

"I didn't realize that you're such a big softy underneath all that muscle, Jojo," Jotaro looked up and Kakyoin had a teasing grin on his face. Jotaro felt his anxiety start to slowly web away.

"Shut up," Jotaro lightly slapped Kakyoin's knee and made him laugh.

"All in all, I'm sorry. It won't happen again. If we have an issue, I'll just say it instead of closing myself off from you," Kakyoin held his hand up for a high five and Jotaro reciprocated. As expected, Kakyoin held on to his hand. 

"Do you want to stay here tonight? I can wake you up before the doctors or Ms. Kea comes in so you won't get busted," Jotaro noticed that Kakyoin seemed to be feeling much better.

"Sure. I didn't have any plans anyway," Jotaro summoned Star and scooted the beds closer.

Now that the air was cleared, the two went back into their groove of playing games, but this time they kept the volume turned down enough to hear if anyone was coming. Jotaro felt lighter and breathed a little easier. Dio is dead, but he'll always live on in the memories of the Crusaders, whether they liked it or not. It felt good to get some of that baggage off of his chest. They played for an hour or two until Kakyoin started to yawn. Kakyoin was falling asleep during matches and had to be shaken awake each time. Jotaro ended the match early when Kakyoin fell asleep completely. Today must've seriously worn him out. Jotaro turned everything off and decided to leave now so he can get some rest and come back tomorrow. 

The walk home was quiet and free of people. Even nature itself was asleep. Free of noise and other people, Jotaro's mind wandered back to the events of today. He was being honest with Kakyoin; He didn't know that seeing any part of Kakyoin's injury would make him spiral so badly. The first few months after they returned wasn't easy. Everyone had fresh wounds and fresh memories. But with most of them healed up and walking around, everyone did forget that frequent hospital visits weren't supposed to be something to get used to. But then again, the Joestars' lead bizarre lives, along with anyone who decided to stick around with them.

Though Jotaro needed to be reminded as to the reason why they were at the hospital all the time, he would never walk away from Kakyoin. Especially not now when he needed someone who understands with absolute clarity what he's been through. Kakyoin could be across town and Jotaro would still go to see him daily. Kakyoin was in a different place in Jotaro's heart. He needed to make sure that he was being taken care of in all ways, and Jotaro was more than willing to provide that and more. Kakyoin didn't deserve any of what he went through. He deserves to be loved and cherished like anyone else. 

Still lost in his mind, he entered his home and didn't notice that his mother was awake. He didn't notice that she was watching him from the kitchen. Her motherly instinct was telling her that Jotaro was going through something, and he had no clue how to deal with it. He walked into his room to get ready for bed. She had a feeling it was nothing too serious, so she was planning on how to wrestle out the information from her son.

That weird feeling inside of Jotaro resurfaced with a ferocity. It was warm and bubbly and it made Jotaro want to jump through ridiculous hoops, just to make Kakyoin laugh. He wanted to be the one to make Kakyoin feel wonderful and cherished. He wanted to hold Kakyoin close and protect him from anything that saught him harm. Whatever he wanted, Jotaro wanted to be the one to give it to him. No one else understood Kakyoin as Jotaro did and vice versa. 

Jotaro was laying in bed when the realization hit him like a freight train. He liked his best friend. He was completely smitten over Kakyoin. That weird feeling was just him slowly processing that he was head over heels for Kakyoin. Any little thing that Kakyoin did, good or bad, sent that warm feeling straight to his stomach. He figured that this is what people meant when they said they had butterflies in their stomachs when they were around that special someone. His heart was racing and he sat up, eyes wide in shock. The issue wasn't the crush itself. It was Kakyoin. Who knows how he would react if and when Jotaro told him. But more importantly, since when did he like men? 

Jotaro himself had no issue with gay men. The issue at hand is that he felt dumb for not recognizing the telltale signs of a crush. He had zero experience with this sort of thing, so he couldn't be too hard on himself. No one had ever caught his eye, so what made Kakyoin different? Jotaro felt dumb again. Everything about Kakyoin was different from everyone else. Even down to the way he styled his hair set him apart from his peers. Not to mention the fact that they're both Stand users. Everything they went through on their trip brought them closer. 

But regardless, he has to tell Kakyoin. He wasn't sure how or when, but Kakyoin had a right to know because of how close they were. This wasn't going to be easy, but Jotaro couldn't hide this from himself any longer. Not knowing what else to do, he decided to lay back down and try to sleep. There were a lot of things he needed to plan out and think about now that he finally realized that he has a massive crush on his best friend.


	5. Chapter 5.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakyoin has a bad nightmare that causes him to distance himself from everyone. Jotaro wants to help but can't. Not until he gets a call that makes him run out in the night to help Kakyoin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like this chapter. I was battling with myself on how I wanted to write this one out. I tried. There's some hurt, some comfort, more handsome boys being gay~  
> As always, let me know what you guys think in the comments! Your comments keep me going! I love writing, and I'm having fun with this fic, but I want YOU to enjoy it even more!

"Jotaro, you're going to be late if you don't get up!" Holly called from the kitchen. Jotaro snapped his eyes open and looked at the time. He overslept and was going to be fifteen minutes late. He rushed around to get ready and was almost out the door when his mother stopped him.

"Papa is here to take me out to run some errands, so we're going to drop you off!" Holly said as she latched herself on to Jotaro's arm. Old Jotaro would've shaken her off. New Jotaro just hurried up to put his shoes on.

The car ride wasn't all too long, and, thankfully, no one tried to start a conversation with Jotaro. He wasn't fully awake yet and was feeling irritable. Jotaro heard them discuss everything from his grandmother to the weather, but then they got to the topic of Stands, which made Jotaro tune in.

"Are you still doing okay with it?" Joseph asked with a voice full of concern.

"Yup! It takes some getting used to, but as of right now I can't do much with it," She sounded a little disappointed.

"Hermit Purple can't do a whole lot, but that's okay! Not every Stand is a combat Stand; So as long as it's not hurting you, you should be just fine," Joseph sounded relieved that his daughter was still fine and well.

"It seems to react to however mom is feeling," Jotaro sat up a little more to take part in the conversation.

"Really? When did this happen?" Holly asked.

"When you were yelling at me about school. I saw the vines appear from behind your shoulders, and then retract when you calmed down," Jotaro noticed that his grandfather looked surprised at this.

"I guess I'm not used to all of this yet, I didn't even notice!" Holly said with a laugh. Joseph met Jotaro's eyes in the mirror. The look in Joseph's eyes told Jotaro to watch his mother for him.

Jotaro leaned back into the seat and let their idle chatter continue. He was sure that his mom's Stand was no longer an issue, but it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on it just in case. If her Stand did start to hurt her again, none of them would know what to do to fix it this time.

They dropped Jotaro off and said to call them if he wanted a ride home. He thanked them and entered the building, where Ms. Kea seemed to be waiting for him.

"Jotaro, I've been waiting for you," Jotaro almost laughed, but the look in Ms. Kea's eyes stopped him, "Kakyoin is physically fine, but something's off about him. He won't tell me anything, so I'm hoping that you can figure it out. It's mainly for medical reasons, like if he's hiding pain or something like that, but I care about you two. I don't want to see him in any sort of pain. When I asked, he tried to lie and say that nothing's wrong. I didn't push it because he didn't seem to want to tell me, but I trust that you'll figure it out," Jotaro nodded and rushed over to Kakyoin's room. When he finally entered, Kakyoin didn't look over at him. He was focusing his eyes on the tv on purpose.

Earlier~

Kakyoin shot up and was gasping for air. He rubbed his face and sighed. That nightmare was the worst of them all. The sun was just starting to rise, meaning that he would be alone for a few more hours. He further propped himself up and turned his tv on. Movies sounded like an excellent way to kill some time. He chose one at random, honestly not caring what was put on. If he could, he would kick or punch something to get out some of the anger and frustration that was welling up inside of him. Instead, he got as comfortable as he could and let his mind wander

"Kakyoin! How are you today?" Kakyoin looked up to see Ms. Kea. She had her back to him, so she hadn't yet seen his face. How much time had passed? The sun was up now.

"I'm as good as I can be, given my current situation," He gave a weak laugh and sat up fully. He looked over and saw Ms. Kea studying him.

"What's wrong." It wasn't a question. Ms. Kea always seemed to be able to read people well, which is why Jotaro liked her. She knew which buttons not to push.

"Nothing, really," Kakyoin answered a little too quickly and cleared his throat to try again, "I don't think I slept very well, so I'm a little tired," He smiled at her, but she didn't seem to believe it. After a few seconds, she shrugged and gave Kakyoin a smile in return.

"Don't scare me like that! Anyway, let's get the tests over with. Jotaro should be here soon," Kakyoin nodded but kept his head down, thankful she didn't press on the issue.

As she did her tests, Kakyoin's mind wandered to Jotaro. He had been drawing him more, but he still didn't want to touch the picture of him sleeping. He couldn't afford to mess it up because Jotaro wouldn't pose for him again, sleeping or otherwise. If Kakyoin could just get a picture of him smiling, his secret collection would be complete.

He wasn't sure when it started, but whenever he thought about his best friend, he felt butterflies in his stomach and blushed. If it was what he thought it was, he was in trouble. He actively tried to squash it down when it reared its head, but he never could make it go away entirely. Maybe that's why he pretended to be asleep when Jotaro gave him his jacket that night they went on the roof. Or why they always held hands. At first, it was just his comforting strength that he relied on. But lately, he can't keep a smile off his face when it happens. Maybe that meant that Jotaro also felt the same way? Or maybe he was just a good friend who was trying to help. The only way to know for sure was to ask, but there wasn't an easy way to bring up a topic like this.

"All done! Let me know if the brace gets uncomfortable, alright?" Kakyoin said he would and she left.

Kakyoin laid back down and started actively watching the movie that was on. Thinking about Jotaro put him in a good mood. Until his mind forced him to remember the dream he had, and suddenly he couldn't stop thinking about it. He wasn't aware of how much time had passed until he heard his door open again. He knew it was Jotaro, but couldn't look him in the eye. No one would admit it to him, but Kakyoin knew he was a burden.

Present, Jotaro~

Jotaro didn't say anything but still pulled his chair over to Kakyoin's bed. Even if Ms. Kea hadn't brought it up, Jotaro could tell that something was bothering him. Jotaro went to grab Kakyoin's hand, but then everything from last night came rushing forward and he decided against it. He felt like he would be using Kakyoin if he went on as normal. Instead, he sat back and lowered his hat. Star Platinum, on his own accord, once again, materialized and gently shook Kakyoin to get his attention.

"Hey, you two. I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in," Jotaro looked up and saw Kakyoin force a smile out.

"I might fall asleep on you today because I didn't sleep well last night. Sorry in advance," Kakyoin gave a weak laugh and Jotaro wasn't sure what to do. Kakyoin's constant apologizing was concerning more than anything.

He decided to push his bed, his only because he still used it so much, closer to Kakyoin's, and lay down beside him. They watched cable tv or movies, but they didn't play anything and they hardly said a word to each other all day. At some point, Kakyoin reached over for Jotaro's hand, who happily obliged and met him halfway. Jotaro wanted to know what was wrong, but he figured that Kakyoin would tell him in time. He wasn't ready to talk about it yet, and Jotaro wasn't going to force it. Kakyoin seemed more in need of comfort right now, rather than a discussion.

As expected, Kakyoin fell asleep. Jotaro untangled their hands and he quietly got up to go find Ms. Kea. He pulled aside a different nurse to ask where her office is. He realized that he never really explored the hospital much, even when he was a patient here. It didn't matter because he knows where Kakyoin's room is. The nurse gave him directions and Jotaro thanked him, rushing off to find the office before Kakyoin woke up. It took about five minutes, but eventually, he found a door that read 'Iris Kea'. He knocked and heard her say it was okay to enter.

Her office was what Jotaro expected. She had her college degree and medical license on the wall behind her, but then she also had pictures of her pets and plants of varying sizes everywhere. The office felt alive and formal. Fun but professional. It all represented Ms. Kea pretty well. She looked happy to see him, and a little hopeful that Kakyoin had talked to him.

"Jotaro! Did you manage to pry him open?" She gestured for him to sit. She didn't waste time, and Jotaro found himself appreciating that quality about her once again.

"Not quite. I didn't try. He wasn't ready to talk about it and I didn't want to force it out of him. I'm sure he'll talk to one of us in time," Jotaro watched as Ms. Kea mulled it over.

"I guess the best we can do is just watch him for now. I'm sure it's nothing too serious that would require alerting the doctors, but you can't make assumptions in this profession," She looked up at Jotaro with a fire in her eyes and a smile on her lips, "Starting now, we're launching operation Observe Kakyoin. The plan is, we continue as normal and alert the other if he seems to get worse," She was trying to lighten the mood, and it somehow worked.

"That's fine. I'm going back before he wakes up. I'll see you later," They said their goodbyes and Jotaro made his way back to Kakyoin's room.

Jotaro walked in on Kakyoin drawing. He had a look of frustration on his face, brow furrowed in concentration on the sketchbook in his lap. When he looked up, his face broke into a huge grin. Jotaro pulled his hat down and walked over to his chair. His heart thumped at the sight of Kakyoin smiling at his presence. This was going to take some getting used to.

"Hey! I thought you left early!" Kakyoin used Hierophant to place the sketchbook into the nightstand.

"I just went to talk to Ms. Kea about something," Jotaro hoped Kakyoin wouldn't ask.

"That's alright. Visiting hours are almost over, care to play something with me?" Kakyoin seemed fine, but that was just as suspicious to Jotaro. Regardless, he nodded and set everything up.

They played a racing game today, but Jotaro wasn't giving it his full attention. He was watching to see how Kakyoin was acting, but he was also admiring the way Kakyoin's face set when he played games he was good at. He looked confident in his abilities. When Kakyoin got the upper hand against the computers, he smiled to himself. If he wasn't winning, he would shake his head and ramble about a broken game mechanic. Jotaro wouldn't even get in the top three, but he liked seeing Kakyoin celebrate his victory either way.

"Good game, Jojo. I trained you well," Kakyoin sounded playfully cocky.

"You're the worst teacher ever then. I didn't even place."

"That just means that you're a terrible student," Jotaro shoved him and told him to shut up, which made Kakyoin laugh, which made Jotaro's heart thump in his chest once more.

"I should get going before Ms. Kea has to kick me out again," Jotaro stood up reluctantly. He felt Kakyoin tug on his jacket sleeve. When Jotaro looked down, Kakyoin wouldn't meet his eyes again.

"If it's not too much trouble, could you call me tonight? Only if you want to or if-" Jotaro cut him off by grabbing his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. Even though Jotaro felt bad, he knew that Kakyoin calms down when he does this.

"Of course I'm going to call you, you don't have to be so formal about it," Kakyoin smiled at Jotaro, but Jotaro saw something else swimming in Kakyoin's eyes.

They said their goodbyes and Jotaro left. He decided not to call himself a ride home; He needed the walk to help him think everything over. Something was very obviously bothering Kakyoin, but he didn't say anything to Jotaro the entire day. That, paired with the fact that Kakyoin seemed to be acting normal now, all sent off warning bells in Jotaro's head. As much as he wanted immediate answers, Jotaro was still holding out that Kakyoin would tell him soon enough.

He entered his home to find his mother and grandfather asleep on the couch. There was a movie playing, but Jotaro guessed they started the film and fell asleep early on. He's happy he didn't call them for a ride home; There's a good chance they wouldn't have heard the phone anyway. Jotaro turned everything off and threw a blanket over them. Grabbing the phone, he went to his room and changed for the night. He decided to open his window and sit in front of it to make his call, the night breeze welcome inside his stuffy room.

Kakyoin seemed to want to stay on the phone all night. He kept Jotaro up later than usual, just talking about the game he was currently playing. While Jotaro didn't mind, he was curious about why Kakyoin was so insistent on Jotaro staying up for so long. Jotaro ended up grabbing out an old notebook and idling doodling in it while Kakyoin rambled on about his game. Against Jotaro's will, he started to yawn and was having a harder time fighting off his sleepiness. He got up from his desk and went over to his bed to comfortable. If he fell asleep now, at least it would be in comfort. He closed his eyes and did end up falling asleep, but he had a feeling that Kakyoin wouldn't notice for a little bit.

~~~

Jotaro opened his eyes to sunlight and heard people talking from outside. He realized that he foolishly slept with his window open. He used Star to freeze time and they did a quick sweep of the house to check if anything was taken while they all slept. He sighed in relief when they were done, as nothing was stolen. Time was starting back up, so he walked back to his room and closed his window.

"Jotaro! You're finally up!" Joseph called loudly from the kitchen. Jotaro didn't realize that he was making so much noise in his room.

"Good grief," He sighed and walked back out of his room. He wasn't ready to be social at this hour in the morning. 

"Good morning, Jotaro!" Holly said cheerfully. She sat down at the table with Joseph while Jotaro took his usual seat.

"So you're hanging out with us today! What would you like to do?" Joseph seemed excited to hang out with his grandson, as did Holly.

"What do you mean?" Everyone knew that Jotaro was going to the hospital today.

"We thought it was something you and Kakyoin talked about," Holly gave Jotaro a confused look, "He said he doesn't want visitors today. He called earlier, saying he's feeling a bit tired and doesn't want everyone to come and see him if he'll just be asleep all day. So we have you all to ourselves!" Holly was planning how to spend her day, but Jotaro wasn't paying much attention.

Surely there was a good reason that Kakyoin would refuse guests today. They were up pretty late last night, so maybe he was just tired after all. But there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that told Jotaro otherwise. He could be wrong, but if Kakyoin didn't want visitors he wouldn't force his way in there. Besides, he wasn't personally telling Jotaro to not come and see him, it was a message to everyone. That didn't stop his chest from hurting a little, though. His mother went to go grab her things and Joseph got Jotaro's attention.

"Jotaro don't overthink it. Between his therapy and you two staying up all night talking on the phone, I'm sure he's just plain tired. Give it time, he'll come back around," Joseph flashed him a smile and a thumbs-up, and Jotaro had no choice but to listen to what his grandfather told him. 

"How did you know that we were on the phone last night?"

"Where do you think we found the phone when it went off this morning?" Joseph laughed and Jotaro pulled his hat down.

Almost begrudgingly, Jotaro spent time with his family and the Crusaders. It's not that he didn't want to, but that nagging feeling about Kakyoin just wouldn't leave him. Everyone decided to try their best at cheering up Jotaro. According to Polnareff, he was "gloomier than usual".

They went out to different shops and events that were happening for the summer. Each day was something different for the group. Holly took them out to the city to try new foods on the first day and to see a movie, which Jotaro slept through. The day after, Avdol wanted to go to a nearby festival to see Japanese culture up close. Jotaro and his mother had seen stuff like this countless times before, but it was nice to see everyone get excited about everything because it was all so new and strange to them. The next day, Polnareff wanted to take them to a beach, but no one wanted to be out in the sun for that long, so they decided to go to a museum.

The museum made Jotaro's chest hurt a little. He knows that Kakyoin would love being here if he could. He would start spouting out random facts about the various paintings and statues. He would want to take so many pictures of everything because it would be inspiring for his next drawing. Even if Kakyoin never felt the same way, he still just missed having him around. Jotaro being away from the hospital just felt weird, mainly because he had no idea what Kakyoin was doing by himself. When confined to a bed, any and all company is preferable to being alone. Soon enough he was going to see Kakyoin and get some answers.

On the fourth day, Jotaro got a call from the hospital. He was alone in the house for once; Everyone was out buying things for dinner and Jotaro just wasn't feeling up to it. He answered the phone hoping it was Kakyoin.

"Hello? This is-" Jotaro knew that voice. It wasn't Kakyoin, but hearing from Ms. Kea gave him mixed feelings. She could have good or bad news, and Jotaro didn't know what to expect at this point.

"Hey, this is Jotaro," He heard her sigh in relief.

"I thought I'd never get ahold of you! Listen, Kakyoin is still physically fine, but his mental health is what's concerning me. He's been telling you all not to come and see him because he's tired, but he hasn't been sleeping," Jotaro was already standing, ready to run to the hospital, "Sit back down. Before you come running up here, listen to me," Jotaro did as he was told and sat back down on his bed.

"He's avoiding sleeping at night. If he sleeps at all now, it's when he passes out, but he always wakes up when the sun goes down. I've heard him crying to himself at night. I can't intervene too much because I'm afraid he'll ask for a different caretaker. I need you to figure it out once and for all. I shouldn't be telling you this, but do what you have to do to see him tonight. I know you've broken in before, and I know you can do it again. I'll make sure that no one comes in to bother you two," Jotaro was already mapping out his route. They said their goodbyes and Jotaro hung up.

Everyone came back about half an hour after the call happened. Jotaro's nerves were frayed and he had adrenaline pumping through him. He just needed to get through dinner and have everyone fall asleep so he can leave unnoticed. Everyone could sense that something was up with Jotaro, but they knew it was about Kakyoin and decided not to ask in case it made Jotaro feel worse. Avdol eventually excused himself to the bathroom but motioned for Jotaro to follow him. Avdol instead ducked into Jotaro's bedroom which made Jotaro sigh in relief. Crisis avoided.

"Something is troubling you, and it has been for the past few days. Is it Kakyoin?" Jotaro nodded and proceeded to tell Avdol everything Ms. Kea told him. He also mentioned his plan to break into the hospital tonight.

"It is odd for Kakyoin to actively turn us all away, but it's even stranger for him to not want to see you. I trust that you'll be able to help him like you always have," Avdol gave him a reassuring smile.

"Go now. Visiting hours are just about over, but I know that you're waiting for everyone here to fall asleep. I'll tell them you went to bed early and that you don't want to be disturbed," Jotaro nodded and Avdol left to go carry out his end of the plan. Just like in Egypt, Avdol proved to always be a great ally and friend. 

Jotaro wasted no time in leaving the house. He silently slipped through his window, hoping that Avdol would close it behind him, and ran out into the night. There were other people outside, but none of them dared to stop him. Thankfully, his intimidating demeanor kept people away. Everyone knew he had a temper on him and no one wanted to be on the receiving end of it. The hospital wasn't far, but he ran just to get there even sooner.

On the way over, he realized that he was happy that he heard from the hospital at all. Weirdly enough, he was delighted that he was given permission to break some rules to see Kakyoin. It didn't matter now if Kakyoin planned to talk to him on his own terms because everyone needed answers at this point. He'll let Kakyoin talk to the others on his own, but Jotaro wanted answers first; Even if it was kind of on orders from Ms. Kea. Regardless of the circumstances, he was excited either way to see Kakyoin again after only being apart for a few days. 

When he finally arrived, he saw the other visitors slowly leaving the building. Jotaro decided to give it just a bit more time before running in there. He hid in the shadows of the tree he stands by to smoke and waited. When all the visitors left, he waited for more of the lights to go out in the rooms. He saw some of the staff leaving for the night and still waited. Jotaro was waiting for the flow of people to slow down entirely before heading inside. When he talked to Kakyoin, he didn't want him to feel constricted in what he could say out of fear of the doctors barging in.

After an hour of standing, everything was as calmed down as it would get. Jotaro froze time and ran inside. He took his usual pathway to Kakyoin's room, ducking into broom closets when time was starting back up. When he arrived at Kakyoin's door, he now felt anxious about seeing him. Since they met, they had never spent too much time apart. He wouldn't know what to do if Kakyoin didn't want to see him at all anymore. He couldn't waste any more time now because things were starting back up around him. He ducked inside and stopped in his tracks.

There was Kakyoin. Sitting up, but balled up. He was hugging his knees and crying softly. Jotaro heard the gentle sniffles and felt his heartbreak. Crush or not, Kakyoin didn't deserve to be alone through whatever was bothering him. Jotaro used Star to close the door softly and started making his way over. Kakyoin heard the footsteps and shot his head up. His eyes were red and his cheeks were tear-stained.

"Jotaro what are you doing here?" Kakyoin was surprised to see Jotaro standing there, but he already knew how he got in. He was trying his best to stop his tears, rubbing at his face furiously. Jotaro pulled his hands away and held them in his own. Kakyoin looked down at their joined hands, noticing that Jotaro's hands were warm.

"I noticed days ago that something was wrong, but I didn't say anything because I didn't want to force you to talk if you weren't ready. But then you started to avoid me in the only way you could," Jotaro pulled a hand away to tilt Kakyoin's head up at him by the chin so they'd have to make eye contact, "So now I have to pry. Kakyion, what's wrong?" He leaned his face into Jotaro's hand and sighed.

"You might want to sit down for this one. Also, I'm sorry if you-" Jotaro cut him off with a look.

"Stop apologizing. You haven't done anything wrong," Jotaro's voice came out a little harsher than expected and instantly felt awful when Kakyoin recoiled away from him slightly.

"Yes, I have. I kept you and others from coming to see me. I didn't want you to come and see me because I didn't want to bother you!" This time Jotaro pulled back a little. Kakyoin wasn't one to raise his voice, and while he still wasn't all that loud, it was louder than he normally ever got.

"Kakyoin, like I said before, you aren't bothering me. All of us want to come and see you-"

"I know, Jotaro, and that itself is an issue because I'm a burden! You, your mom, Ms. Kea, none of you or the others should have to put up with me! You shouldn't have to be here every day, Jojo. You have your own life and you shouldn't be trapped in here just because I am," At this point, Kakyoin was crying again. Jotaro swooped down and hugged him, holding him tight. He didn't let go until Kakyoin sounded a little better.

"Where is all of this coming from?" Jotaro pulled away to look Kakyoin in the eyes.

"It was a bad nightmare a few days ago. One where I did horrible things to everyone because of Dio. He had me under his control again, as if the flesh bud was never removed. All of you hated me for the things I did, including your mother. I thought that if I started to distance myself away from everyone, that you would all get fed up with me and leave; And that maybe these nightmares would stop. I know I said I would talk to you instead of shutting you out, but I felt like you would hate me for having dreams like that after all this time. It all felt so real. I've been having a hard time distinguishing fact from fiction, which is another reason I've been pushing everyone away. I know you must hate me now-" Jotaro cut him off by putting a finger to his lips. He had heard enough.

"Kakyoin, please listen to me. You are not, nor have you ever been, a burden on any of us. Ms. Kea adores you. My mother and the others? They're pretty worried about you; They're wondering if they did something to hurt you. I-" A confession almost slipped past his lips, by now wasn't the time to let that out, "I care about you more than most people. Please, don't shut me out again," Jotaro was letting a lot of emotion show on his face, hoping that Kakyoin would finally get the message that Jotaro was here to stay. Kakyoin looked down and let words wash over him.

"Thank you, Jotaro. Things will be different. I know you're a man of actions over words, so I'll show you that I won't run away from you anymore," Kakyoin said this with a genuine smile and Jotaro had to hide his face from view. Kakyoin smiling up at him like that sent his heart all aflutter.

Star, on the other hand, hugged Kakyoin tightly in Jotaro's place. Jotaro might not live long enough to confess how he feels about Kakyoin. He'll die of embarrassment before that.

"Ms. Kea sent you here, didn't she? She knew I was upset but didn't push it all too much," Kakyoin got settled in the massive arms of Star Platinum. Might as well be a cozy prisoner.

"She did. She knew something was wrong but didn't want to keep asking. She was afraid you'd ask for a different nurse," Kakyoin laughed a little at the statement.

"No way. She's amazing. There's no other nurse I'd ever want besides her."

"You should tell her that. If it weren't for her, I would've just waited for you to call me to come and visit instead of just breaking in," Jotaro shook his head and finally sat down. Instinctively, they both reached out for a hand to hold.

"When I hugged you, you felt thinner. Why?" Jotaro looked serious. Kakyoin looked down in embarrassment.

"I haven't been eating much the past few days. Depression does that to people. When Ms. Kea would bring me food I'd have Hierophant dump it out the window because I just wasn't hungry."

"No more of that. You can't get better if you don't eat anything," Jotaro shook his head. Kakyoin laughed and promised to not skip meals anymore.

"Thank you. For talking to me," Jotaro covered his face again. He had opened up enough for one night. Kakyoin just squeezed his hand in a wordless reply.

"I take it you're sleeping over? It is pretty late already," Kakyoin looked over to see Jotaro already asleep. He smiled and settled in further into Star's arms.

Kakyoin wasn't tired yet, but he was more than happy to relish at the moment he was in. He found himself looking over at Jotaro often. He still loved seeing him this way. Free of any stress or worry. He looked so relaxed now, versus from when he walked in earlier. Kakyoin felt bad now that he had some time to think. Jotaro never just falls asleep, so he must've been pretty stressed over Kakyoin the past few days. That thought alone made his face heat up.

Someone as wonderful as Jotaro was worried about him. That's not to say he doesn't have his faults. But overall, Jotaro had shown him so much support and care ever since he was admitted to the hospital. Jotaro, the other Crusaders, and Ms. Holly have been here with him through all of this; But it was Jotaro who was here every day. It was moments like these that made it harder to suppress that feeling he kept getting.

But on the other hand, maybe he didn't want to suppress it anymore. He liked the way Jotaro made him feel. He felt happy and safe; If nothing else, he didn't feel alone anymore. Maybe it was just on a platonic level, but Jotaro does care about him to some extent. Why else would he go through these lengths to make sure Kakyoin was okay? He didn't have to call him every night or see him every day. He didn't have to bring him food or play games that he knew he couldn't win.

Maybe Jotaro is just a great friend. But Kakyoin was done lying to himself. He liked Jotaro. He liked everything about him. He grabbed Jotaro's hand tighter and now began to wonder how Jotaro would react when he tells him. Most people aren't okay with gay men, so there was that, but he didn't know Jotaro's stance on the matter. Jotaro was a pretty opened minded person, so his confession shouldn't have a negative impact on their friendship.

Kakyoin had never given his sexuality much thought. Seeing as how he actively avoided everyone, he never got the chance to date people. If he ever found anyone attractive, guy or girl, it wasn't something he ever acted upon because the feeling wasn't strong enough. But that all changed when Jotaro stepped into the picture. He has a massive crush on his best friend. He smiled at Jotaro in the dark and started to drift off. It felt good to finally admit it, even if it was just to himself.


	6. Chapter 6.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jotaro is given permission to steal Kakyoin away for the day and has it all planned out. It's a lot of cute moments, some questions, and some appreciation. Also some hints at some lewd thoughts. Very nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm super sorry that this chapter came out later than usual. I was seeing my family and they live out of town. I didn't want to write about two boys being gay in front of them, lest they stumble upon my open laptop haha. They moved to try and escape the virus, so I was trying to get in more time with them before they left. If I wasn't helping them pack, I was at work.
> 
> From here on in, we'll be resuming a normal updating schedule! Thank you all for being patient and/or understanding!

Jotaro woke up earlier than usual to cook for Kakyoin. He got up about an hour before sunrise to start making everything. He decided to take Kakyoin on a date of sorts; Which comprised of sneaking Kakyoin out of the hospital and not getting caught. He didn't plan to take Kakyoin too far, just far enough to be relatively out of sight from other people. Eventually, Holly woke up and helped Jotaro out by baking Kakyoin his favorite cake. Once the food was done being cooked and baked, he packed up everything and made his usual commute to the hospital.

"Morning, Jotaro!" Ms. Kea had Kakyoin already loaded up in his wheelchair. Today he was allowed to wear his sweat pants and shirt, something he wears when he gets to go outside.

"So, I have a plan for you two. It involves not being cooped up in this room all day!" She had a somewhat mischievous look in her eyes, "Jotaro, I'm leaving you in charge of Kakyoin. Your only real objective is to have Kakyoin walk. Not too much walking, but just enough to continue strengthening his leg muscles."

"How did you convince the doctors?" Kakyoin sounded skeptical, but he looked excited.

"I didn't! I told them Jotaro would be accompanying us as normal, which is only half true. We'll all walk out of the doors together, but after that, it's all up to Jotaro."

"What happens if they come looking for us?"

"I told them that after you do your outside therapy, you want to be left alone to sleep. All in all, Kakyoin, I want you to start readjusting to life outside of the hospital. You won't be here forever, but it might still be a while until you can resume life as normal. I imagine that you and Jotaro especially won't ever be too far apart from each other, so he's essential for your readjustment. Which is why I'm breaking a few rules for my two favorite boys!" Ms. Kea looked happy to be breaking some rules, which was a weird change of pace.

After that, the trio walked out of the building like normal. But, the second they hit the corner, Ms. Kea gave them detailed instructions on where not to be so that no one would see them and report them. She told them to meet back at Jotaro's smoking tree when visiting hours were over.

"What are you going to be doing in the meantime?" Jotaro was grateful for anything easy to come by him, but he needed a solid alibi.

"I'm going home, for now. My dog misses me and I'd like to nap, so really, everything works out for everyone," She waved them goodbye and headed for her car, which was parked a few feet from where they were standing.

"I guess she isn't a busy nurse. Otherwise, someone would notice her absence," Kakyoin looked skeptical, but Jotaro shrugged it off and wheeled him away.

He took Kakyoin to the park behind the hospital, and from there, to a tree that was in the farther back part of the park. It was more secluded, so it seemed ideal for a somewhat stolen hospital patient and friend to hide by for the day. Jotaro plucked Kakyoin from his chair and leaned him against the tree, then got to work on setting up their breakfast.

"Wow. You went all out on food today," Kakyoin sounded pleasantly surprised.

"Sort of. My mom gave me ideas on what to make, so I kind of just made everything," Jotaro pulled his hat down and resumed his set up. His mom only had a small part in all of this. He wanted to impress Kakyoin and was happy to see that his hard work had paid off.

"It all looks great, let's start eating," Jotaro looked up and saw that Kakyoin look genuinely excited to eat the spread that he made.

The two boys chatted and ate happily. Kakyoin would comment on every new food he tried, and Jotaro said he would pass the praise on to his mother. Kakyoin knew that Jotaro had gotten up a little earlier to make all of this. The give away was the bags under his eyes, but he didn't want to embarrass Jotaro by outwardly complimenting him. Besides, Kakyoion wasn't sure he could. The fact that Jotaro did any of this for him made him blush, which made him thankful that Jotaro was looking down at his food.

"Your mom made this cake. I can tell by how she added extra cherry flavoring to it," Kakyoin took another bite and moaned in the delight of the taste.

"You know, I was planning on stealing you away today regardless, so Ms. Kea giving me permission made it easier" Jotaro moved to sit beside Kakyoin when they were done eating. Aside from wanting to be closer to Kakyoin, he wanted the support of the tree trunk to lean on. Jotaro's heart seemed to be going wild at the thought of openly sitting next to Kakyoin, like he had done hundreds of times before. It was something so simple, but so bold.

"That would explain the overhaul of food," Kakyoin closed his eyes and enjoyed the gentle breeze that was tousling his hair.

Kakyoin leaned his head against Jotaro's shoulder lightly. Jotaro pulled his hat down to hide a look of shock. He may never get used to this. Jotaro also closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment. But like most good things, the moment was ruined. A strong breeze blew their way.

"Jojo?"

"Yeah?"

"Please tell me that you locked the chair so it doesn't blow away," Kakyoin barely finished his sentence when the chair in question started to roll away.

"Shit," Jotaro sprang up and chased after the chair, leaving a laughing Kakyoin behind.

When he calmed down, Kakyoin smiled. He was proud of himself for having the guts to lean on Jotaro's shoulder. He, unfortunately, wasn't brave enough to see the look on Jotaro's face when he did that. It would've been a giveaway as to how he felt about that. If all went accordingly, this wouldn't be his only opportunity. Surviving Dio has given him a more somewhat optimistic outlook on life. Once he got out of the hospital, he wanted to live a happier life.

Jotaro came back a few minutes later completely out of breath from chasing the wheelchair. Kakyoin laughed and patted the spot next to him so he could catch his breath, but Jotaro shook his head.

"There's a storm coming and it's coming fast. We need to get out of here," A loud clap of thunder confirmed Jotaro's sighting and the two got to work on packing everything up.

"Wait wait. I haven't walked at all today. Ms. Kea is going to kill us,"

"Let's just tell her you did walk. What she doesn't know won't hurt her,' Jotaro shouldered the bag that he brought the food in so they could leave.

"No, she knows us better than that," Kakyoin looked at his wheelchair and got an idea, "Hold the chair steady. I have an idea," Jotaro pieced two and two together and nodded. Given his progress, Jotaro is sure he can make it from the tree to his chair.

Even with the oncoming rain, Kakyoin knew better than to rush this; Especially since he was doing so much better with walking now. If he rushed it, he could reverse all of the progress he made. He stood up and started his small journey to his chair on slightly shaky legs. Jotaro saw that he didn't use Hierophant to help him, and was proud of him for doing this independently; Though he was still ready to catch him if started to fall. But in the end, he didn't need to. Kakyoin made it to his chair without Jotaro needing to interfere.

"I had to use Hierophant towards the very end to get me in the chair, but I'd say I did pretty good" Kakyoin wasn't out of breath like he used to be from walking. In fact, he sounded fine.

"You did great, even though you took your sweet time," Jotaro was secretly very happy for him.

"You can't rush perfection," Kakyoin gave him a cheeky grin and Jotaro shook his head.

"Shut u-" Without much more of a warning, the rain finally made its entry. Jotaro shrugged his jacket off and tossed it on to Kakyoin's head, thankful that the tree was shielding them from most of the downpour. Jotaro gripped the handles tightly, getting ready to dart out into the storm.

"Jojo, you don't have to run. Remember that thing you can do where you freeze time?"

"Honestly, it slipped my mind. I was more focused on getting you out of here," Jotaro felt dumb for not remembering that. He didn't want Kakyoin to get cold and wet, so he lost focus. He put the bag he brought the food in on Kakyoin's lap so it wouldn't fall, and took off into the pouring rain.

Running through frozen time, Jotaro was able to somewhat minimize how wet they got. As always, Kakyoin had a look of joy on his face every time Jotaro ran around with him. Kakyoin at one point turned his head around to beam up at Jotaro, which almost made him trip over himself. Kakyoin was downright cute when he was having fun, something which Jotaro's heart just couldn't handle. Not that he could ever say that out loud, but he was safe in his mind. Eventually, they made it to the front of the hospital and found Ms. Kea standing under Jotaro's tree.

"There you two are! So I didn't plan on any rain today, but when I saw the cloud approaching I hurried back. I'm happy to see that Jotaro is responsible enough to bring you back before the storm got too bad," She gave Jotaro a look of gratitude and they headed inside.

As they made their way through the building, Jotaro saw Kakyoin wrap his jacket around his body to try and combat the air conditioning. They weren't soaked, but they still got pretty wet. Meanwhile, Jotaro was covered in goosebumps, but he wasn't willing to make Kakyoin freeze on his behalf. With Ms. Kea leading the way, she didn't know that they were cold until they got into the room.

"You two should've said something sooner! Wait here, I'm going to go get dry clothes. Jotaro, put Kakyoin on his bed," Before they could protest, she was out the door. Jotaro removed the bag from Kakyoin's lap and pulled him out of his chair to help him walk to his bed.

"Well seeing as we now have no choice, did you want to step out of the room?" Kakyoin looked up at Jotaro, who in return gave a confused look.

"I don't want you to get upset by seeing my brace or stomach, so you can step out if you'd like,"

"I think since I now know what to expect, I'll be okay seeing it," Jotaro wasn't too confident in his statement, but he was willing to try. Pushing past it might help in his mental healing.

"Okay, but I'm sorry in advance if anything happens," Slowly, most likely due to the cold and wet fabric, Kakyoin started to peel his shirt off. Jotaro forced himself to stare at Kakyoin's stomach. He knew to expect the brace and injury, but now that he was more prepared, it wasn't nearly as bad. The top of the scar was poking out from the brace and it looked pretty healed. It took Kakyoin coughing to snap Jotaro out of it.

"While I'm happy that you're okay, no one has ever stared at me for that long or with such intensity," Kakyoin sounded bashful and his face was a little red. Jotaro pulled his hat down and looked away.

In truth, Kakyoin didn't mind being stared at by Jotaro. It may have been a little awkward since they've always been clothed around each other, but having Jotaro stare at him made him feel happy; Even if it was mainly because Jotaro was handling his injury and brace much better this time around. Ms. Kea returned and looked happy that they were mostly out of the wet clothes.

"Good job, Kakyoin! Jotaro, your turn," She handed Jotaro a grey sweatshirt. To Kakyoin, it looked huge.

Outwardly, Jotaro shrugged and tugged his shirt off. Inwardly, Jotaro had to keep his thoughts under control. He was just changing in to dry clothes, not stripping in front of his crush with naughty intentions. If he didn't have a crush on Kakyoin, this wouldn't even be an issue. He glanced over at the man in question to see that he was blushing hard. When he got caught, Kakyoin suddenly became very interested in his hands that were resting in his lap.

What was that all about? Jotaro didn't want to get his hopes up, but friends don't openly gawk at each other the way they just did. Despite not having friends, Jotaro knew that much. 

"I'm going to hang up your stuff to dry, but it might take a while, so get comfortable," Ms. Kea did her best to stay dry while handling the wet clothes.

"He's here every day. I'd be pretty surprised if he wasn't comfortable," Kakyoin had a teasing tone in his voice that brought the atmosphere back to normal.

"So I know you never take it off, but do you want me to hang up your hat?" Jotaro was a little reluctant but ended up giving it to Ms. Kea. There's no sense in keeping a wet hat on your head.

"Great! I'll be back with dinner later. Stay dry, kiddos!" She left, leaving a trail of water behind her.

"Jojo, can you get me the hand towel from the bathroom?" Jotaro complied and Kakyoin motioned for Jotaro to sit next to him on his bed.

Kakyoin leaned closer and started to gently dry Jotaro's hair. Jotaro was prepared to just let it drip water on him until it dried on its own, but he preferred this alternative. He didn't know whether or not to close his eyes and enjoy the feeling, or if he should keep them open to look at Kakyoin. He decided to keep them open for now, not wanting to miss a chance like this. Jotaro never saw Kakyoin's face when in concentration, unless he walked in on him drawing or glanced at him while playing a game. Kakyoin absentmindedly poked his tongue out as he went about the task. He was seemingly unaware that Jotaro was staring at him. Jotaro liked the look in Kakyoin's eyes when he was focused on a task. His eyes held such determination when he was serious. 

"Can you tilt your head down for me?" Jotaro complied once again without hesitation. Kakyoin took to massaging Jotaro's head in order to dry it. It was then that Jotaro realized that Kakyoin never put his shirt on; He had goosebumps covering his exposed skin.

"You idiot. Why are you still shirtless?" Jotaro pulled away to look him in the eye.

"I honestly forgot about it," Kakyoin sounded sheepish.

"You're covered in goosebumps."

"Well now that you brought it up, my body just remembered that it's cold" Jotaro threw the shirt at Kakyoin, causing him to laugh.

"Hang on," Jotaro got up and grabbed the towel to return the favor.

He started from the back and, as gently as he could, dried Kakyoin's hair. Having zero experience, he mimicked what Kakyoin did to his hair. He seemed to be enjoying it, given by how he was leaning into Jotaro's touch.

"I don't know what to do about your bang, so I'll leave that to you," Jotaro gave him the towel, but Kakyoin grabbed his hands again.

"Act like you're petting a dog. Gentle but firm squishes on it will allow it to keep its shape, while also keeping any hair from being pulled out," Kakyoin held on to Jotaro's hands and guided him through until it was a damp lock of hair.

Once again, Jotaro was caught off by the proximity that he was able to have with Kakyoin. It felt natural, but given his crush, it felt different. A pleasant different, but different nonetheless.

"Jojo?" Kakyoin was already looking at him when Jotaro focused his attention on his eyes.

"You’re very important to me. I do appreciate everything you’ve done for me. It makes me feel cared about," Kakyoin leaned in further and wrapped Jotaro in a tight hug. He was so caught off guard that he went still, but Star brought himself out and returned the hug. For once, Jotaro didn't mind that his Stand acted on its own accord. 

Jotaro wanted to confess how he felt, and he was close to doing so, but the atmosphere wasn't right. He wanted Kakyoin to be free of the hospital before Jotaro tells him. At least then, if he wanted to distance himself from Jotaro, he'd have the freedom to do so.

"Kakyoin-" Jotaro was caught off by a knock at the door. The boys sprang apart and scooted away from each other. Kakyoin threw his shirt on and gave the knocker permission to enter. As expected, it was Ms. Kea.

"I have food and news! Jotaro your clothes won't be dry by the time visiting hours are over, so if your mom is okay with it, you're staying here tonight," She gave the boys their food and sat down on Jotaro's unoccupied bed.

"What if one of the doctors come in?" Kakyoin was asking as a formality. Jotaro can evade doctors forever with Star Platinum. 

"I know what's best for my patient. I told them that having Jotaro here would be good for your health. Besides, I'll kill them if they think I'm going to let Jotaro walk home in the pouring rain," They way she said it made it sound like she just got done arguing with some of her coworkers about it. If looks could kill, they'd all be dead.

"Anyhow! I'm leaving for the night. See you two in the morning!" With her sudden change in demeanor, she was out the door.

"She could've just driven me home," Jotaro said after a beat of silence.

"Eh, why look a gift horse in the mouth. Now we can watch movies all night without being bothered," A grin overtook Kakyoin's face. He had Jotaro all to himself with a guarantee of no interruptions.

As per usual, Jotaro used Star to scoot his bed closer to Kakyoin's. Once they got settled, they scrolled through the movies they had access to. They watched awful movies, but they couldn't care less. They held hands and made fun of the movies because of how poorly they were written.

"What? Jotaro Kujo knows how to smile?" Kakyoin seemed to enjoy teasing Jotaro, but Jotaro didn't care. He was happy that Kakyoin seemed happy and carefree.

"As always, you're still a little shit. You can't help it, can you?" Jotaro retorted playfully and Kakyoin told him to shut up through a laugh.

The atmosphere from earlier was left unaddressed, which was just fine with Jotaro. He needed time to think over Kakyoin's actions. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't start for reaching for the idea that Kakyoin returned his feelings. It shouldn't be weird for them; Even on their journey to Egypt, they were always together and close to one another. Perhaps Kakyoin was just really comfortable with Jotaro, and this was to be the new normal. Jotaro still couldn't tell if he's liked Kakyoin the entire time, but now that he's admitted it to himself, he needs to think everything over so that it doesn't give off the wrong idea. If Kakyoin likes Jotaro, it'll be a genuine return of emotion and not because he feels forced to like him that way.

Jotaro fell asleep before Kakyoin, leaving him to think everything over. He couldn't tell how Jotaro felt about him. He liked him enough to visit every day, but was there anything behind it? At the very least, Kakyoin was always thankful for his presence. Perhaps Jotaro would never return his feelings, which was fine. He was happy enough just being his best friend. He's going to tell his best friend everything one day, hopefully soon. Out of the hospital would be best, because then they were free to do as they pleased and live life the way they wanted. Kakyoin used Hierophant to gather his art supplies and started up a new drawing of sleeping Jotaro.


	7. Chapter 7.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakyoin receives a letter and isn't sure where to go from there. Jotaro senses that something's wrong and rushes to Kakyoin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a day late (I'm sorry, my dears) and is a little dialogue-heavy. I wanted to show that the boys do rely on each other for comfort. It's hurt/comfort.   
> They care about each other so much. It's adorable.

Earlier~

Kakyoin woke up at around eight in the morning when Ms. Kea would come in and bring him breakfast. He greeted her cheerfully, but she had a puzzled look on her face.

"You got a letter today. Which is weird because everyone who knows that you're in here comes to visit you," She handed him his breakfast and letter and then left to give him some privacy.

As soon as he saw his name on the front he recognized the handwriting. It was his mother's. He lost any appetite he had, his good mood vanishing. He didn't know what to expect inside. Knowing his parents, it could say anything. His hands were starting to shake, but he forced himself to open the letter.

"Dear, Noriaki. Hope you're well! Right now, we're..." Kakyoin read the rest of the letter out of curiosity, but it didn't matter what it said. His parents knew he was in the hospital. They knew their only son was here, miraculously surviving a fatalistic injury, and they send a simple letter. Kakyoin let said letter fall to the floor and laid back down on his side. He curled up and let his mind wander. He was feeling too much at once and needed Jotaro.

Present~

Jotaro woke up with a bad feeling in the pit in his stomach. Something was wrong, and he had a feeling it had to do with Kakyoin. But just to be sure, he quietly snuck into his mother and grandfather's rooms to make sure they were okay. He sighed in relief when they were still soundly sleeping. He went back to his room to get changed and left his house earlier than normal to get to the hospital.

Jotaro used Star to freeze time and hurried up to Kakyoin's room. Visiting hours didn't start for another hour and he wasn't up for a lecture. He didn't make it in time because he saw Ms. Kea walking down the hall, facing his direction. He was confused as to why she looked upset, which is what stopped him. She had just exited Kakyoin's room, and that's not the normal expression she wears around the two of them. Time picked back up and she looked up at Jotaro, not even being fazed by his sudden appearance. She walked up to him and grabbed his arm.

"You're here early. Come with me to my office so you don't get busted," The two quickly and quietly made their way down the hall.

"I just checked on Kakyoin, something is wrong. He got a letter today, but it didn't say who it was from. When I went back in a half-hour later, he was curled up on his side and didn't say a word," She fiddled with her hair and looked antsy.

"That's why I'm here so early. I got a bad feeling in my stomach the second I woke up," Jotaro was ready to bolt as soon as the conversation was done.

"Go work your magic and find out what's wrong. He seems almost empty inside now," Ms. Kea sighed and looked defeated. Jotaro nodded and hurriedly left the office. What was it like to want to care for a patient who only opened up to one person?

When he got to Kakyoin's door, he didn't bother knocking. He entered to see Kakyoin still on his side, but not moving. He made no indication that someone came in at all. Jotaro got closer to see that he was sleeping, but his hands were balled up and his cheeks had tear stains on them. He stepped even closer to wake him up, but something crunched underneath his shoe. He picked it up to find that it was the letter Ms. Kea brought up. He started to carefully read it, in case it said anything personal.

"Morning, Jojo," Jotaro snapped his head up to see Kakyoin stretching. He sounded like he didn't have any life in him at all.

"Morning," Jotaro wasn't sure how to bring up his reason for an early visit today. Kakyoin looked down to see the discarded letter in Jotaro's hands.

"Oh! I see you found that excuse of a letter. You can toss that out," The happy tone in Kakyoin's voice did nothing to disguise the emotion in his eyes.

"Kakyoin-"

"No no, Jojo. Toss it. We don't need something so vile interrupting our day," Kakyoin looked down into his lap and sighed.

"That letter is from my parents. Jotaro they know I'm in here. They know I barely survived Dio, more or less. I'm surprised that they even bothered to send a letter at all. Hell, I'm even more surprised that they noticed I was gone from their lives altogether," Angry tears fell down Kakyoin's cheeks.

"They're out traveling the world while their only son is stuck in the hospital. They cant even simply pick up the phone and call! They don't have to visit, but at least a damn phone call would do," Kakyoin started to cry harder and Jotaro rushed over to hold him. Kakyoin latched on and cried into Jotaro's chest. He needed the release, but he still had so much anger and sadness in him that couldn't leave fast enough.

"I'm sorry you have such shitty parents," Jotaro mimicked what he's seen on tv and smoothed back Kakyoin's hair to help comfort him.

"It's okay, it's always been like this. Regardless of whatever I do, they never seem to notice. I know I'm partly to blame, but there's more to me than just my Stand. I would've let them into any other facet of my life because they would've been able to understand it, but they stopped trying years ago," Kakyoin's arms went limp and Jotaro held him tighter. All of this emotion made Kakyoin tired all over again.

They stayed like this for who knows how long. Kakyoin would keep flipping between trying not to care and then bursting out into emotions. Kakyoin had every right to be sad and angry about this. Jotaro couldn't relate to what he was going through, but he wanted to help in any way he could. Jotaro found himself loathing people he had never met. After he calmed down a bit, Kakyoin pulled away and wiped the stray tears off of his face.

"Thank you for listening and being here. By the way, how did you know that I needed you?" Jotaro looked down and spoke quietly.

"I woke up with a bad feeling in my stomach. I knew it was you, so I rushed over here," He looked up to see Kakyoin blushing, but then a cheeky grin overtook his face.

"You were worried about me? We are besties, Jojo!" Kakyoin swooned like a schoolgirl but broke out into laughter soon after. He was trying to bring light away from himself and his red face.

"I'm glad to see that you're feeling better," Jotaro rolled his eyes but that feeling in his stomach subsided.

"Honestly though, thank you. After I read the letter, I only thought about you and how I wanted to talk to you about it. You're comforting to me, as always," Kakyoin blushed again and looked down.

"Yeah, no problem," Jotaro got up and picked up the letter. He brought it over to the open window and tore it into shreds, letting the bits of paper sail away into the wind. Suddenly, they heard a knock at the door.

"Come in, Ms. Kea!" Kakyoin said from his bed. She walked in with lunch, meaning that they were talking about all of that for a few hours.

"Lunchtime!" She said cheerfully and wheeled over the tray and set it up beside Kakyoin. His stomach growled in response, causing him to blush in embarrassment.

She glanced over at Jotaro for a confirmation that Kakyoin was okay now. Jotaro nodded and a look of gratitude appeared on her face.

"By the way, everyone else is here. I said to give you at least ten minutes to eat, but they didn't care. So at best, you have about five minutes," Ms. Kea warned the boys, a teasing smile on her lips. Kakyoin immediately started to wolf down his food.

"I'll see you two later!" She mouthed out a thank you to Jotaro and left.

"They don't take your food. Why are you eating so quickly?" Jotaro chuckled and sat in his chair.

"They said that this week they're bringing me burgers. Mr. Joestar made them and I've never had American food before, so I want to try it while it's still nice and hot," Kakyoin continued to eat and Jotaro watched him, making sure he didn't choke.

"This is what happens when you skip breakfast."

"Jojo I've never once seen you eat breakfast. Quite frankly, you eat so little that it's impressive that you're still so muscular," Kakyoin leaned back and sighed in content. He somehow ate everything on the tray.

"That's because I only really like my mom's cooking," Jotaro pulled his hat down. Before Kakyoin could think of a reply, they heard voices outside the door.

"It's been five minutes. I'm sure it's fine," Polnareff said, sounding ready to break down the door.

"We should respect the doctor's wishes," Avdol sounded like he was trying to reason with them the entire walk over.

"We've all seen Kakyoin eat before. Besides, I brought him food and I don't want it to get cold," Joseph sounded almost pouty. Jotaro knows that his grandfather likes food, so he never wants it to waste.

"We can hear you. Just come in already," Jotaro yelled at them and they threw open the door.

"Hey, boys! I hope you're hungry!" Joseph greeted them in excitement.

"Kakyoin just-" Kakyoin cut Jotaro off with a pointed stare.

"I was just telling Jotaro that I've been looking forward to eating what you made for us. I'm pretty hungry," Kakyoin smiled through his lie. Jotaro smiled to himself, knowing that Kakyoin won't be able to eat much more of anything else.

Everyone gathered around and began eating. Jotaro noticed that everyone scarfed down the burgers, showering his grandfather in praise, except for Kakyoin. He was just about halfway through when he had to put it down. He laid back down and moaned at the discomfort in his stomach.

"You idiot. Why did you force yourself to eat again?" Jotaro was scolding Kakyoin but was inwardly laughing at him.

"Just like I told you. I needed to eat something this delicious while it's still fresh."

"Kakyoin, you didn't have to force yourself," Joseph sounded bashful but looked happy.

"Aside from Jotaro bringing me things, I don't receive home-cooked meals too often," A sad smile set on Kakyoin's lips. He sat up and rubbed his face tiredly.

"What's wrong?" Avdol asked gently.

"I received a letter from my parents this morning. They know I'm here, but they haven't visited me once. Not even a phone call." Kakyoin's words came out harshly.

"They're out traveling the world. Their son almost died and they can't be bothered to see him once," Jotaro was furious with Kakyoin's parents all over again.

"When you're released, do you even want to see them again?" Polnareff asked, being serious for once.

"I don't know. It's all sort of a grey area," Kakyoin sighed and laid back down on to his pillows.

"Kakyoin, a family isn't always necessarily blood relations. I consider everyone in this room to be my family, yet we don't share an ounce of blood," Avdol had a gentle smile on his face, one that everyone returned.

"You're right. They're my parents by blood, but not much else. I need to think it over fully, but right now I can say that I don't want to go back to living with them. Regardless of how they'll take it, sending just a letter sort of put a nail in the coffin," Kakyoin's eyes held a myriad of thoughts and emotions. Jotaro grabbed on to Kakyoin's hand and squeezed it gently. No one was even surprised by it anymore; They all just knew that that's how they operate.

"You're almost eighteen! In America, you're practically a legal adult," Joseph looked excited like he could sense a great change coming.

"That's all fine and dandy, but where is he going to live?" Polnareff asked from his seat.

"We don't have to rush. His birthday is July 28th, so let's just say we have until August 1st to figure it all out," Jotaro was trying to stop the planning before it began. He knew the others could get out of hand, save for Avdol.

"We'll keep our eyes and ears open for any potential places to live. If nothing comes up, we'll figure it out," Avdol smiled at Kakyoin and Jotaro could see the tension leave Kakyoin's face.

"You guys are the best, you know that?" Kakyoin was beaming, which made Jotaro's heart flutter. He pulled his hat down but was happy because just this morning, Kakyoin was a crying wreck.

"I know, but thank you for pointing it out," Polnareff pretended to act bashful, which was greeted with a groan from everyone else.

While the rest of the group chatted and watched movies, Jotaro got lost in his thoughts. Kakyoin's living situation needed to get sorted as soon as possible. He didn't want to get everyone to get too hyped up over it, because he was afraid they might put Kakyoin somewhere too expensive or far away.

Jotaro toyed with the idea of getting a job so he could save up to get them an apartment close by. He wasn't good with people, but he would try his best to keep Kakyoin from living far away from him. Maybe he could convince his grandfather to let Kakyoin stay with him and his grandmother in America. It wasn't ideal, but Jotaro would move to America to stay at Kakyoin's side. Regardless of what happens, Kakyoin going back to his parent's house wasn't an option.

Kakyoin squeezed Jotaro's hand to bring him back to reality. He gave Jotaro a questioning look, but Jotaro gave a dismissive shake of his head. He won't dump all of this on Kakyoin right now because there's no need to. Once it gets closer to August, he'll bring it up. Kakyoin smiled warmly at Jotaro, who in turn pulled his hat down. Jotaro decided that no matter what it takes, he won't let himself ever be too far away from Kakyoin.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the Fourth of July and everyone is excited. Holly finds something out and goes off on our two boys. Jotaro wants to confess to Kakyoin, underneath the sea of stars and all of the colors around them. But does he get the chance? Let's find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is super late. I'm sorry, my dears. 
> 
> I started feeling sick towards the chapter's release date (Thursday) and I couldn't work on the revisions and tying up the chapter. I felt awful on Friday, but I was better early Saturday, but I still let my body rest after work just in case (I didn't think it was COVID, but you can't be too careful in these trying times) and I had to run some errands yesterday before the final revision, and now we're here! I'm going to work my butt off to get the next chapter out by Thursday for you guys.
> 
> Thank you all for your patience and understanding, and I'm sorry for the delays. You guys keep me going, thank you all for the kudos and comments and everything! 
> 
> Fair warning, this one is a little dialogue-heavy. 

"Jotaro! Come out here!" Jotaro groaned and rolled on to his side. Jotaro decided that his grandfather's yelling could wait an hour or two.

"Jotaro today is a holiday, we need to start preparing now!" He heard his door fling open but Jotaro already knew it was his grandfather.

"Jotaro! Do you know what today is?" Joseph plopped himself down on to Jotaro's bed.

"It's July fourth," Jotaro spoke from underneath his pillow. He still had about two hours until he needed to leave for the hospital, so he was trying to savor his sleep.

"Jotaro surely you know the significance of today? Every American-"

"I'm Japanese." Jotaro unearthed himself, realizing that sleep was no longer an option.

"Well of course. But Holly is my daughter and you're my grandson. She was born in America, so you're part American. Therefore, you can still get excited about   
today!" Joseph's excitement was almost palpable. Almost.

"I know about the Fourth of July. It's too damn loud," Jotaro laid back down to try and shut out his grandfather.

"But I already bought fireworks," Jotaro looked over to his door to see a bag of fireworks. The small bag was packed with them, and it would be sad to see them go to waste.

"That, and I already told Kakyoin and the others that we're setting off fireworks tonight," Jotaro looked at his grandfather to see a mischievous look in his eyes. If Kakyoin was looking forward to it, Jotaro couldn't say no.

"Fine. But only because everyone is coming, I don't want to waste everyone's time," While that was true, Jotaro also wanted to see if Kakyoin had any prior experience with fireworks. He was looking forward to seeing Kakyoin's face light up as the fireworks went off.

"Papa! Did you wake up Jotaro yet?" Holly poked her head into the room. Her outfit consisted of red, white, blue, and glittery stars. This was going to be a long day.

While Jotaro was in the shower, Holly and Joseph busied themselves with packing up the car with the fireworks. Some of them were big, which was only an issue because everyone was riding in one car. In the end, everyone decided to hold some on their laps and head out.

"You know? Kakyoin is lucky to have a good mother-like figure like you in his life," Polnareff smiled at her, for once showing someone besides himself some praise, but Holly looked confused.

"What do you mean?" Holly looked to Joseph for answers, but he kept his eyes on the road ahead. Jotaro was hoping to put this off for as long as possible. He knew his mother was prone to worrying.

"Kakyoin's parents aren't the best. While they do care about him, he needed more involvement with them while growing up. He received a letter from them and, reasonably, he was pretty upset by it," Avdol gently explained.

"No visits. No phone calls. Anything would've been better than a shitty 'get well soon!' card." Jotaro's voice came out harsh, but anytime he thought about Kakyoin's parents, he became livid.

"Papa, can you drop Jotaro and I off at the hospital? I need to talk to Kakyoin," Holly's Stand was poking out from behind her shoulders; The telltale sign that she was angry.

When they arrived, Joseph said he'll wait for them out front. The receptionist knew who they were, and she seemed to know better than to call them back to have them properly sign in. Holly knocked as a formality but barely waited for permission to enter. Kakyoin looked happy to see them until he saw Holly's face and Stand. 

"Jotaro, sit down. I need to talk to you both." Jotaro wasn't a fearful person, but hearing his gentle mother sound like this made him bolt for the nearest place to sit.

"You know I love you both, and I'm eternally grateful to you and everyone for saving my life. But I thought that meant that you guys would keep me in the loop when something happened!" The boys glanced at each other, sharing looks of confusion.

"Kakyoin, your parents? I know that once you're released that you won't have a home to go to. Why didn't you come to us?" Holly looked genuinely hurt.

"I don't want to be a burden. Having someone move in unexpectedly can be a pain. Besides, I don't think Jotaro will like having bunk beds," Kakyoin looked down sheepishly. His joke did ease some of the tension, because when he looked up, Holly had a gentle smile on her face. 

"We have a spare bedroom, for one. Two, you wouldn't be a burden. You make Jotaro happy, so I'll keep you around for as long as you're willing to stay! You're like a second son to me, Kakyoin," Holly hugged Kakyoin, as mothers' do. He hugged her back with a smile of his own. Jotaro, on the other hand, just felt dumb for not remembering the spare bedroom they have.

"We'll have it all cleaned up and ready for whenever you're released!" Holly was all smiles, but Kakyoin was still thinking everything over. Holly turned her attention to Jotaro and a frown overtook her gentle features once more.

"Jotaro, I know you knew about this. Why didn't you tell me?" Holly sounded a little upset but wasn't as angry as she was before.

"I didn't want to worry you. We all would've figured something out," Jotaro was stressed enough trying to figure everything out on his own before the established deadline. Maybe that's why he forgot about the spare bedroom they have.

"You and your grandfather are so much alike. You get ahead of yourselves so easy," Holly wrapped her arms around Jotaro and kissed his forehead, much to his embarrassment.

After the excitement died down, Holly said she'll be back with the others in a couple of hours. Not much else needed to be prepared, but it would be easier to transport the fireworks with fewer people in the car. A few minutes of silence passed after Holly left, which made Jotaro worry a little.

"What's wrong?" Jotaro settled into his chair but didn't scoot closer like he normally does, in case that somehow made things worse.

"How do you feel about your mother's invitation to live with you two?" Kakyoin kept his eyes down, staring at his lap.

"Stupid," Kakyoin looked up in amused confusion, "Having you move into the spare bedroom should've been my first thought. We've only recently started using it because of my grandfather, but it's remained empty since we bought the house," Kakyoin started playing with his fingers, presumably out of nervousness.

"But how does it make you feel? Would you, in all honesty, mind having me move in with you?" Jotaro saw a faint blush creep onto Kakyoin's face.

"This option is better. I was going to get a job and have us move into an apartment closeby."

"You were planning on what now?"

"What?" Kakyoin sighed at Jotaro's genuine confusion.

"Jojo you can't say something like that so casually!"

"It was better than you moving somewhere far away. I'd still visit you, but it would be-" A knock at the door cut him off. They saw a familiar head of black hair poke into the room.

"Hello there, my dears!" Ms. Kea came in with a clipboard and sat down next to Kakyoin.

"I'll cut to the chase. Kakyoin, as you know, it's a holiday today. For some of our residents, this is an issue because it's better enjoyed outdoors. Because you've been doing so well with your therapy, you're free to go outside and enjoy yourself!" She looked so happy for Kakyoin, but also a little sad. Jotaro decided to ask about it another day.

"I'm so happy to hear that. I know Mr. Joestar bought fireworks and it would be a shame if they went to waste," Kakyoin's eyes held a look of newfound joy.

"I'll see you two later when you check back in. Have fun today!" Ms. Kea sounded cheery, but Jotaro could tell that something was bothering her.

"Hey, Jojo. Check this out," In one fluid motion, Kakyoin was out of bed and walking. It wasn't the world's best walking, but it was the best Kakyoion could do right now. He only wobbled slightly, but he took confident strides over to Jotaro.

"Holy shit. That's the best you've done," Jotaro looked up at saw that Kakyoin had a grin on his face.

"I've been working harder at, I wanted to impress you and Ms. Kea," Kakyoin laughed awkwardly, but Jotaro was so proud of how far he's made it.  
Kakyoin meant to take a step forward to sit on the unoccupied chair next to Jotaro, but he tripped on the chair leg. Jotaro reacted as fast as he could, but Kakyoin's arms were flailing around and he couldn't get a good grip on Kakyoin, so he ended up falling onto Jotaro's lap instead. Kakyoin's head ended up colliding with Jotaro's stomach. Jotaro lurched forward to still try and catch Kakyoin, causing his hat to fall forward on to Kakyoin.

"Are you okay?" Jotaro didn't care about his stomach or his hat, he needed to make sure that Kakyoin was alright first. Kakyoin looked up with a blush of embarrassment painting his cheeks.

"Are you okay? I kind of headbutted your stomach," Kakyoin laughed to try and ease the awkward atmosphere. Jotaro reached out and absentmindedly fixed his fallen hat, which made Kakyoin blush harder.

"You don't look half bad in it," Jotaro reached up to pull his hat down out of habit but instead averted his gaze.

"I do love hats, but I have bad hat hair. I don't know how you manage it," Kakyoin laughed again.

"You should probably move if you can. This is a pretty compromising position," Jotaro heard Kakyoin mumbled curse words under his breath as he stood up.

"Jojo your hair is all tangled," Kakyoin took to Jotaro's hair with his hands. Jotaro closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling.

Maybe in the future, this could be a normal thing between the two of them. But for now, Jotaro just silently appreciated the feeling of Kakyoin running his hands through his hair. Meanwhile, Kakyoin was actively trying to tame Jotaro's hair, but he was also breathing in his scent and enjoying just being with him. He wanted to enjoy Jotaro's closeness while it was still there. Once he tells Jotaro how he feels, this could all go away in the blink of an eye.

"I swear, for Christmas, I'm getting you a brush," Once satisfied, Kakyoin returned to his bed and sat down.

"I do brush my hair, but my hat kind of ruins it," Jotaro ran his own hands through his tangle-free hair.

They playfully jabbed at each other for a bit more and then moved on to play Jotaro's favorite fighting game. He was getting the hang of it and was getting more and more victories as he went. Eventually, Jotaro's thoughts caught up to him. He's going to tell Kakyoin soon. Once he's released from the hospital and he's moved in, he's going to tell him. It wouldn't be fair to keep that to himself, seeing as how they'll be living together from now on.  
They heard a pop coming from outside, which pulled them away from the game.

"It's starting! Let's go!" Kakyoin was itching to get outside. He was allowed to wear sneakers to out today, instead of the hospital slippers, and a light grey sweatshirt with matching pants.

"Do you want your wheelchair just in case?" Jotaro asked as Kakyoin grabbed a cane.

"I shouldn't need it, seeing as how this is an event that most people sit down for," Kakyoin hurried himself to the door. Jotaro chuckled and followed after him.

"Have you seen fireworks before?" Jotaro asked when they were good ways down the hall.

"I have, but it's been a few years. I last saw them when I was about seven years old with my parents," Jotaro didn't have time to be angry because they finally made it to the doors, where they saw everyone piling out of a car.

"Well look who's up and walking again!" Joseph exclaimed and gave Kakyoin a bear hug.

"Perhaps we should go easy on him. He's still a recovering patient, you know," Avdol said this in a chastising way but was happy to see Kakyoin walking

"I knew you could do it! But we should get going. We don't want all of the good spots taken," Polnareff gave a hearty pat to Kakyoin's back with a grin of his own.

"Are we going to the park?" Kakyoin asked to try and get the attention off of him. He was still trying to get some air back in his lungs.

"It's the best spot for fireworks," Joseph said as he patted his bag of explosives.

"I know a good place," Jotaro told Polnareff and Joseph to go and secure the spot. It was the tree he took Kakyoin to the day he was allowed to steal him. They ran ahead with a large blanket and the fireworks. Holly and Avdol started walking, but Holly gave Kakyoin a strange look.

"I never thought anyone could get that hat off of Jotaro's head. Kakyoin, you must be someone special!" She and Avdol laughed, unaware of the two boys blushing slightly.

"It's not like that! Jotaro lent it to me so the sun would stay out of my eyes!" The more he tried to lie, the more embarrassed Kakyoin felt. He refused to bring light to the chair situation from earlier in front of other people. Holly and Avdol shared a look and started walking again.

"Ms. Holly, allow me to carry some of that," Avdol took the food she was carrying out of her hands before she could say a word, leaving her to hold a small bag.

"Avdol you're so sweet, but no need to be so formal! You can just call me 'Holly'," Avdol tried, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. They started walking ahead, lost in their conversation.

"Let me know if your legs get tired. I'll carry you," Jotaro, once again, went to pull his hat down out of reflex. He instead kept his eyes fixed on the sky.

"No need. It doesn't hurt that much, and the brace alleviates the pain in my abdomen," Jotaro gave a nod in reply as they continued forward.

"Thank you for staying back and walking with me. I'm sorry if you wanted to rush ahead with the others," Kakyoin fiddled with Jotaro's hat. He liked that it was just big enough to rest easily on his head.

"There's no need for me to rush ahead. Gramps and Polnareff just had too much damn energy, so sending them ahead was the best choice. Besides, I couldn't just leave you behind," Jotaro kept his eyes trained ahead. Out of sight from the others, Kakyoin grabbed onto Jotaro's hand and laced their fingers together. They looked down, both enjoying their moment of public solitude. They didn't see Holly glance behind her with a knowing look in her eyes.

Once they made it closer to the park, the boys untangled their hands. They saw a few parties of people all spread out with their hauls of fireworks. Joseph waved them over to the tree and they hurried over. Thankfully, everything was already set up, aside from the food. Jotaro helped Kakyoin settle on the tree's trunk so he can let his body rest. Jotaro settled beside him and brought him over anything he asked for.

"It's dark enough now, so before the fireworks, we can use these!" Holly brought out some boxes of sparklers.

"That's what I forgot to get earlier!" Joseph then pulled out an elongated lighter and helped Holly light a few.

"So these are basically just for writing in the air?" Polanreff asked as he waved around his sparkler.

"Writing, making shapes, just about anything you can think of if you're quick enough," Avdol explained as he drew stars in the air.

"Watch this," He proudly stood up and used Silver Chariot to draw a quick sketch of himself.

Everyone then took turns drawing things using their Stands, except for Holly and Joseph. They preoccupied themselves by writing names in the air. Naturally, Star Platinum beat out Silver Chariot by a few seconds by drawing a cherry tree.

"Hey, Jotaro. Look at this," Jotaro looked over to Kakyoin to see him elegantly write out Jotaro's name. Kakyoin had a playful smirk on his face.

"I can do that," Jotaro tried, but Kakyoin's name was long so it didn't work quite as well.

"Maybe try my first name?" Jotaro did that, but shortened it to 'Nori'.

"Nori? Hm, no one's ever called me that before. I like it. It's like a secret nickname," Jotaro saw a smile light up Kakyoin's face and had to look away.

It was now or never. Everyone was doing their own thing, not paying them any mind. Jotaro decided it was time to confess. Kakyoin can walk now, the setting was perfect, and honestly, watching Kakyoin draw things in the air and excitedly show him was just downright adorable.

"Hey, um. Kakyoin," Kakyoin looked over, noticing the change in tone. Jotaro has never done this before and was anxious as hell. This must be how those girls' felt when they would confess their 'undying love' for him.

"I need to tell you something," Kakyoin turned his body to face Jotaro, giving him his undivided attention. Jotaro looked down at the grass, idly picking at it. He never expected to feel this anxious over a few words.

"Kakyoin I...I like-"

"It's starting!" The second Joseph finished his sentence, a fireworks display started.

Jotaro wasn't sure if he was grateful or frustrated at the intrusion. He felt relatively ready to tell Kakyoin right now. It's delaying the inevitable at this point. Jotaro glanced over at Kakyoin to see that he was immersed in the show. Jotaro sighed, accepting of fate. Kakyoin turned around and pointed out a purple and green explosion, grinning from ear to ear. Kakyoin settled closer to Jotaro, practically laying on his shoulder. He plucked the hat off of his head and returned it to Jotaro, who then settled back on and was happy that it was back where it belongs. 

Jotaro realized that regardless of time, he'll still have the courage to tell Kakyoin how he felt. He didn't want to lose that genuine smile that Kakyoin seemed to reserve for Jotaro. Or the sneaky way they would hold hands like they were doing now. At this point, unless Jotaro was that clueless on romance, Kakyoin had to feel something for him. Or maybe this was always Kakyoin? Perhaps if he ever had friends growing up, this is how he would act towards them?   
Jotaro sighed inwardly and decided to focus his attention on the fireworks. There's no sense in letting a good moment go to waste. He decided to just let himself enjoy this, rather than further stress himself with unanswered questions.

Polnareff and Joseph set off the fireworks they bought earlier. It was honestly a spectacular sight. Joseph chose loud ones, much to Jotaro's disliking, but they had such beautiful colors. Jotaro heard Kakyoin gasp in delight at the colors he saw all around him. Each new firework that launched had Kakyoin bouncing in delight. They waited for the show to end, which stretched out until 11:00 at night. Everyone was having so much fun that they didn't realize it was over until they saw everyone else packing up.

"Papa you always pick the best fireworks. Let's do this again next year!" Holly hugged her father, her joy contagious.

"I have to agree with Ms. Holly. I want to do this again and again!" Polnareff wasn't focusing on their group, but instead was eyeing a group of pretty young ladies passing by.

"They don't need help carrying their things. Instead, carry this," Avdol playfully tossed a bag at Polnareff, who watched the girls walk off with a sad look on his face.

"I can do both! I'm pretty talent-"

"No, you're not. Shut up and carry the blanket," Jotaro unearthed himself for underneath Kakyoin and rolled up the blanket, placing it on Polanreff's pile of things to carry.

"Why am I carrying everything?"

“We’re all carrying our pride. It’s pretty heavy,” Jotaro rolled his eyes and helped Kakyoin up. Everyone laughed and left Polnareff to carry everything. Holly tried to intervene, but no one let her. 

“So it’s wrong to hit on pretty ladies?” Polnareff ran up to Joseph and Holly, only seemingly struggling. At that point, Holly grabbed the blanket, which made everyone pitch in.

They were all a few steps ahead of Jotaro and Kakyoin, which gave them some privacy.

“You were trying to tell me something earlier, what was it? The fireworks kind of cut you off,” Kakyoin let out a big yawn. He’s used to staying up, but this was a lot of social interaction. 

“I was saying that I like the way you write my name. My penmanship is garbage,” Jotaro pulled his hat down and Kakyoin laughed.

Jotaro didn’t want to spring everything on Kakyoin while he was tired. He needed Kakyoin to be alert when he told him so he can process everything fully. At least, that’s what Jotaro would prefer if he was in that situation. 

“We’re going to pack the car up, do you want to take Kakyoin back inside?" Holly posed it like a question, but Jotaro had a feeling she knew that he wouldn't leave until Kakyoin was safely back inside.

Everyone gave Kakyoin hugs and goodbyes. They all congratulated him again on his walking, once more promising him a celebration once he was allowed to leave. He sleepily hugged back and said goodnight. Turning to Jotaro, he held out his hand. 

"Can I just hold your arm? In my tired state, I'm afraid I might run into a wall," Kakyoin laughed nervously, but Jotaro stuck out his arm nonetheless.

They walked slowly down the hall back to Kakyoin's room. Kakyoin assured Jotaro that he still wasn't feeling any major pain and that the pace he was walking at was due to him being tired. If the walk was any longer, Jotaro would've carried him regardless of what he said. They knew Ms. Kea would be waiting inside, so they stopped right outside the door. 

"I had a great time today, Jotaro. Thank you for being here with me," Kakyoin yawned, stopping any reply Jotaro may have had.

"Get inside. If you're still awake, call me later," Despite the interruption earlier, Jotaro still had a great time today. He gave Kakyoin an easy smile, "Goodnight, Nori." Kakyoin blushed a deep red and mumbled out a goodnight, then dashed inside the room.

Jotaro laughed and made his way back to the others. He was feeling pretty good about how things went today. He felt even closer to Kakyoin than before. He made it back to the car and they all piled in. Conversations went on around him, but Jotaro was lost in his thoughts. When they got to the house, everyone just spent the night, occupying couches or sharing a room. Jotaro was asleep the second his head hit the pillow.


	9. Chapter 9.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakyoin is allowed to go home. Some tears are shed, some words are said, and some faces are made red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. I'm sorry I haven't been a good author to you all. I was working, and then I was sick, and then I had to sleep and recover from everything. I hope you'll forgive me.  
> Please enjoy this chapter!

Jotaro woke up and got ready like he usually did. He greeted his mother and grandfather like he normally did. Even the people on the streets were all normal. It was the middle of July, so they were all out shopping. When he got to Kakyoin's room and saw Ms. Kea there, it didn't feel out of place. 

"Good morning, Jotaro. You should sit down for this," Ms. Kea gestured towards his empty chair. She seemed excited but slightly downcast.

"Ms. Kea has been waiting for you to get here," Kakyoin sounded relieved to finally hear whatever news she had been itching to tell them. 

"The doctors felt that it was best if I told you this, and I felt it was best if you both were present. What I'm about to say, you both need to hear," Jotaro's mind immediately assumed the worst case. 

"Kakyoin, you're finally free to leave." She looked up from her charts to see the two boys in shock. Jotaro whipped his head over to Kakyoin, but he was already staring at Jotaro in disbelief.

"Are you serious?" Kakyoin refused to get his hopes up unless he was given solid evidence.

"Of course! Come here and look at your charts," Kakyoin got up and walked over to Ms. Kea. Jotaro followed and saw the doctor's signature on the release form.

"See? The doctors are sure that you're just fine. That, and you just walked over here without needing help," A grin broke out on Kakyoin's face when Ms. Kea's   
words sunk in. 

"Before you go make plans to dance the night away, you still need to take it easy. You're allowed to leave if you return once a week for testing. Oh, and you have to use your crutches or brace if you feel any pain at all, but those are my orders," She was putting up a tough act, but she looked like she might cry.

"What's wrong?" Jotaro finally worked up the nerve to ask her why she's looked so gloomy lately. 

"I knew this day was coming, but I can't say that I was prepared. I knew at the beginning of the month that he would be leaving soon,"

"You'll still see me every week, so this isn't a permanent goodbye," Kakyoin smiled at her reassuringly. She smiled and wiped at her eyes, turning to Jotaro. 

"Jotaro I'm entrusting you with looking out for Kakyoin. If he comes back and he's in worse condition I will kill you," She smiled at him, but her tone conveyed a threat of sorts, which made Jotaro confused. He will never understand women. 

"You two go on and call everyone. I'll see you when you head out!" She bounced out of the room. She seemed lighter now that she got that off of her chest.

"I can't believe that I'm finally leaving. I thought I had at least another month in here," Even though the news was digested, Kakyoin was still in disbelief. 

"I'll call my grandfather and everyone else to come over," Jotaro reached for the phone on the wall, but Kakyoin tugged on his sleeve.

"We have to make a stop before going to your house, though," Kakyoin's head dropped.

"We have to go to my parent's house first. I have to get my clothes and whatnot," Kakyoin sighed and sat back down on his bed.

"That's fine. If they try and say anything to you I'll gladly step in," Jotaro's threat carried and Kakyoin smiled at him.

"Just don't land yourself in jail, Jojo," Jotaro rolled his eyes and made the call. 

In a half-hour, everyone arrived in a moving truck, save for Holly who decided to stay behind and tidy up the house. Ms. Kea walked down with them and hugged them tightly. She made them both promise to be back on Monday at exactly ten. She pulled Jotaro aside and gave him her business card with her cell phone number written on the back. She said that she needs him to monitor Kakyoin in between visits, so if something isn't right, he has her number now. One call and she'll be there. After the last hug, they set off towards Kakyoin's house. Everyone was planning how to move everything and map out their time, but Kakyoin was fidgeting with his fingers. He was reasonably nervous about seeing his parents again. Jotaro took one of his hands and squeezed it comfortingly.

When they arrived, Joseph pulled out some boxes and told Jotaro and Kakyoin to go inside and start packing, while he and the others get the truck ready. Kakyoin grabbed his cane and marched up to the front doors with Jotaro in tow. Jotaro stopped him before he could knock on the door. 

"If they try to start anything, I'm going to hurt them," Kakyoin nodded, trying to smile. His hand was shaking as he knocked on the door. They waited with bated breath, but nothing happened. Kakyoin knocked again, but no one came to the door. There wasn't any noise coming from inside.

"Come to think of, their car isn't even parked in the driveway. They aren't home," Kakyoin laughed in relief and pulled out a hidden key from the inside of a hanging potted plant. 

When they went inside, Jotaro noticed how spotless everything looked. Nothing was out of place, which gave off the impression that this was a model home and not a real house. 

"They haven't been home in a while. They would never allow dust to accumulate like this," Kakyoin wiped his finger along a side table to reveal a thick layer of dust.

"Good, that makes this that much easier. Let's hurry before they decide to come home," Jotaro followed Kakyoin to his bedroom and helped him gather his things. 

Kakyoin dug out some suitcases and the two got to work on packing up Kakyoin's bedroom. Jotaro called in the others to grab the heavy furniture while they carried the suitcases. Thankfully, and almost depressingly, Kakyoin didn't own very many possessions. The only things he treasured were his art supplies and books. 

"You can't help with the books and everything. It's too heavy and it'll stress your body out too much," Jotaro caught Kakyoin trying to lift a box filled with books.

"That's alright, I was just seeing how far you'd let me go. Before we leave, there's something I need to do first," Jotaro gave Kakyoin a questioning look but carried the boxes outside to give him some space. 

Kakyoin pulled out some paper and a pen and left his parents a goodbye note. 

"Dear mom and dad, I'm not sure when you'll read this, but I'm out of the hospital now. I'm not coming back to live with you. I've gathered everything I need, so I have no reason to return. I'm sorry it's come to this. I hope we'll meet again someday. Your son, Noriaki Kakyoin." Kakyoin sighed and placed the note on the table.

There was so much more he wanted to say to justify his anger at his parents. The anger, the sadness, the sense of abandonment. But it wouldn't do him any good; The damage was done. The note was really to ensure that, if they cared, that they wouldn't call the police and report him missing.

"Hey, Nori," Kakyoin jumped at Jotaro's voice and the use of the pet name, which made Jotaro laugh, "Are you ready to go?" Kakyoin nodded and walked out with Jotaro, locking up for the final time. 

When they arrived at Jotaro's house, Holly ran outside and gave Kakyoin a tight hug to welcome him to his new home. They all helped bring in the furniture and boxes. Jotaro gave Kakyoin the lightest thing he could carry: a house key. Kakyoin smiled up at him, feeling even more welcomed.

"Want me to show you to your room?" Kakyoin nodded enthusiastically and followed Jotaro through the house. 

"Oh wow," Kakyoin got a nice view of the city and hills. Jotaro didn't want this room because he felt too exposed, but it seemed to suit Kakyoin perfectly. 

"I'm right across the hall. If you ever need me, don't be afraid to knock on my door," Kakyoin tried to peer around Jotaro to see into the room. Jotaro shook his head, grabbed Kakyoin's hand, and lead him into the room.

"Jojo your room is so clean! It's almost like you never use it," Kakyoin sat down on Jotaro's bed. 

"That's because up until today, I was either in Egypt or visiting you," Jotaro shrugged out of his jacket and hung it up on his desk chair. He started to tug his shirt off until he heard Kakyoin make a noise.

"W-what are you doing?" Kakyoin squeaked out. He tilted his head down, but the redness of his face was still visible. 

"Shit, I'm sorry. I'm used to being on the phone with you when I'm in my room," Jotaro pulled his hat down.

"That's okay, I'll give you a minute to change," Kakyoin hurried out of Jotaro's room, face all aglow. 

Jotaro tried to clear his thoughts while finding a shirt to change into. He found a purple tank top and threw it on, exiting his room to find Kakyoin in the living room.

"So they unloaded everything and left to return the truck. I guess we took longer than we thought," Kakyoin showed Jotaro the note.

"Good grief. Fine, they better grab something for dinner," Jotaro shook his head and tossed the note away.

"What's with the tank top, Jojo?" Kakyoin had a small blush on his face.

"Well, it's going to get hot because they left me with the task of moving everything," 

"I can hel-"

"Kakyoin if you lift anything heavier than a newborn baby I will lock you in the bathroom," Kakyoin laughed and agreed to the term.

Jotaro and Star got to work on the heavy lifting, placing everything down where Kakyoin wanted. He wanted his desk by the window with his bookcase next to it, and his bed along the opposite wall. His dresser was placed close to the door and Kakyoin seemed satisfied. Kakyoin had a lot of room to work with. His old room was so cramped, so having all of this room now felt like a breath of fresh air. 

"Can I set up my books? I have a special way of organizing them," Jotaro placed the boxes next to the bookcase and watched Kakyoin go to work.

"How do you have them organized?" Jotaro sat down on Kakyoin's bed to give his body a break.

"I have them organized by either the author's name or the titles. I keep the series's together," Kakyoin was struggling to place some of the heavier books on the top shelf. Jotaro smirked and stood back up.

"Tell me where to place them," Kakyoin jumped at Jotaro's silent approach and proximity. 

Kakyoin mumbled out where he would like the books, but his mind was elsewhere. He had been admiring Jotaro all day. The grunts of exertion, the sweat that rolled down his arms and chest, the definition of his muscled arms now visible through the lack of a jacket. Kakyoin couldn't keep his eyes off of Jotaro. As he was placing the books up, his shirt would lift ever so slightly to reveal Jotaro's abs and back. 

"Thank you for helping me with everything," Jotaro nodded and sat back down on the bed, falling backward and sighing in content. He heard Kakyoin chuckle and felt the bed dip beside him. 

"I mean it, Jojo. Thank you. For the visits, the phone calls, helping me with the therapy, my nightmares. You even gave me a place to stay and helped me move everything. You're amazing," Jotaro looked over to see Kakyoin smiling at him and had to look away. 

"You're giving me too much credit. Any decent human being would've done the same thing," Jotaro tossed his arm over his eyes.

"Maybe, but it means the world to me that it was you," Jotaro looked back over to see Kakyoin blushing, but diverted his attention elsewhere. It was moments like this that made Jotaro want to confess, but the timing wasn't right. 

Jotaro cleared his throat and sat up, "Did you want to shower before they come back?"

"Yes. It'll be nice to shower without Ms. Kea watching me," Kakyoin got up and stretched out his back. Jotaro saw the brace poke out a little but thankfully was still fine with seeing it.

"Why did she watch you?" Kakyoin blushed in embarrassment.

"She didn't watch me like how you're thinking. She had her back to me but stayed in the room, just in case something happened,"

"That makes sense. Anyway, I'll get you a towel if you want to get your things ready," Kakyoin nodded and Jotaro left to give him some privacy.

While Kakyoin was in the shower, Jotaro cleaned up from earlier. There were boxes and tape left everywhere. He got so lost in cleaning that he didn't hear Kakyoin approach him from behind.

"Sorry I took a while, can I help you clean?" Kakyoin was in an oversized green sweatshirt. His hair was wet and hanging down, framing his face. The leftover water clung to his eyelashes, all hitting the setting sun perfectly. The sight left Jotaro speechless.

"Earth to Jojo, can you hear me?" Kakyoin waved his hand in front of Jotaro's face and started laughing. Jotaro pulled his hat down.

"I'm just about done. I'll finish and go shower, you just relax,"

"Okay, I'll go finish unpacking. Want to play something when we're done?" Jotaro nodded and headed for his bedroom.

He gathered his things and took the quickest shower of his life. He didn't want Kakyoin to be alone on his first night here, now that he was finally out of the hospital. Jotaro hurriedly dried himself off and dressed. He then headed for Kakyoin's room, where he found Hierophant and Kakyoin setting up the gaming console.

"Ready to lose, Jojo?" Kakyoin had a cocky smirk on his face.

"We'll see about that. Hurry up and sit down so we can start," Jotaro retorted playfully and Kakyoin laughed.

Time flew by as they played, both happy that they no longer have to abide by hospital rules. Kakyoin looked relaxed, face free from any worries about the next day, or when he'll be allowed to leave. He was laughing easier and had on a smile that just wouldn't leave his face. Even when everyone came back with food, he was still laughing and joking like there's no tomorrow. This is the Kakyoin that Jotaro has been longing to see. This end result made all of the visits and stress worth it. As expected, everyone started to doze off after they ate, so Jotaro and Kakyoin decided to call it a night.

"Thank you again, Jojo. For everything you've done for me," They stopped outside of their rooms to say their goodnights. Jotaro felt a little bold now that they were alone again, so he decided to roll with it. 

"For you? I'd do it all again," He flashed Kakyoin another rare, genuine smile. Kakyoin squeaked and looked down at the floor between them, clearing his throat before speaking.

"G-goodnight, Jotaro," Jotaro laughed and said it back as Kakyoin darted into his room and closed the door.

Jotaro could get used to seeing a blushing Kakyoin. He didn't need Kakyoin to ever give him a pet name or a nickname. Kakyoin could say his name forever and it'll never get stale. When the timing's right, he's going to tell Kakyoin just how much he loves him.


	10. Chapter 10.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly takes a mini-vacation with Joseph back to America. It's just Jotaro, Kakyoin, a few bottles of alcohol, and an empty house. What could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So because I haven't been updating lately, you guys are getting a longer chapter!  
> Once again, I apologize for my absence. Life has been overwhelming and tiring, but I'm starting to reign myself in again. I can't promise weekly updates, but I'm always putting forth effort into these chapters for you guys. Thank you guys for sticking with me. I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe during these trying times.
> 
> Side note: I'm sorry if the spacing is weird. I always do backups of the chapter I'm working on, and when I tried to post it, my session timed out. So when I uploaded the backup, the spacing had to be redone.

Time at the Kujo household seemed to fly by. Each morning was more or less the same routine. Starting with Holly, who gets up first and makes breakfast. Then Joseph would wake up to the smell of food. He would get so loudly excited that Kakyoin would wake up from being startled by the sudden loudness. Jotaro, however, was more than used to his grandfather's antics and slept through them. Which lead to Kakyoin having to wake Jotaro up so he didn't miss breakfast.

When this morning routine started, Kakyoin would politely knock at first, but over time would just knock a single time and then barge in. Jotaro got used to sleeping with his hat on again when he went to bed so Kakyoin wouldn't see his bed head. It wasn't that he was embarrassed by it, but he didn't want to scare Kakyoin with the sight of it. Jotaro would wake at the first knock but pretended to still be asleep so that Kakyoin would gently shake him to wake him up. Having Kakyoin come in and get him for breakfast was his favorite part of the day and he didn't want to mess it up by being already up and about.

"Morning, Jojo. Breakfast time," Kakyoin yawned and rubbed any last sleep from his eyes. Jotaro yawned and stretched, getting out of bed and following Kakyoin out of his room. Neither of them knew that today would be a little different. When they sat down at the table, Holly said she had an announcement.

"Tomorrow, I'm flying out with papa to America!" Jotaro gave his mother a questioning look.

"Why all of a sudden?" Holly looked over at Joseph to answer. 

"Now that we're done fighting and healing, I think it's time to go back. Suzie is all alone over there and she's been worried about all of us."

"I went ahead and called everyone to come over in a few hours, so let's hurry so we can get ready!" Holly said this cheerfully, but everyone felt a little sadden by the news. 

Everyone came over a few hours later to spend time together before Joseph and Holly left. Polnareff brought drinks and allowed Jotaro and Kakyoin, with Holly's permission, to take small sips from one of the bottles now and then. It wasn't enough to get them drunk or even tipsy; Just buzzed enough so they can take part in drunk fun. Everyone sat around and reminisced about Egypt and other times from the past. They all took turns sharing the more light-hearted parts from their trip for Holly. She had a pretty good idea of how bad it was, but today wasn't the day for that discussion.

"Jotaro laughed! I didn't think he knew how to," Polnareff teased Jotaro, who rolled his eyes in response.

"You guys lost your minds, too. It was hot as hell."

"Be nicer to Jojo. Besides, you were terrified by that pig in the toilet," Kakyoin said smoothly, a smirk playing on his lips. 

"You should've seen it! It looked like it was going to bite me in the ass," Polnareff's fear got washed away from the group's laughter.

"We need more days like this. Promise me we'll all meet up at least once a year to keep in touch and be together like this," Polanreff was being serious for once. It was written all over his face just how much he wanted everyone in the room to never leave his side. They all felt the same way, so everyone agreed without hesitation.

"You know that all of us are only a phone call away, right? We don't have to only get together for special occasions," Jotaro was trying to get the point across that any of them would drop everything in a heartbeat to meet up.

"That's true, but even if it's just for the holidays, I'll still be just as excited to see you all again," Kakyoin said quietly, but with a smile on his face. 

Everyone stayed the night to keep the feeling of togetherness and love alive. Joseph and Holly left a few times to pack everything up and double-check on their flight times. When everyone fell asleep, Jotaro followed his mother to her room to help her pack.

"How long will you be gone for?" Jotaro asked through a yawn. 

"Only a week. Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Holly already knew his answer from her asking earlier, but she wanted to make sure.

"I'm sure. Kakyoin hasn't been here long enough for both of us to be gone for that long. That, and he still needs help getting around. I'll go next time," Jotaro jumped at his mother suddenly hugging him. 

"Jotaro you're such a sweetie!" Jotaro pulled his hat down, "I'll let mama know about our situation. I'm sure she won't mind. Anyway, go get some rest. We'll wake you boys up before we leave," Jotaro nodded and said his goodnights to his mom. 

In the living room, Jotaro found Kakyoin asleep on the recliner. Jotaro smiled at the sight of Kakyoin curled up. He swiftly picked up Kakyoin to carry him back to his bedroom to sleep comfortably. Jotaro wasn't planning on Kakyoin clutching at his shirt in his sleep. He almost dropped Kakyoin out of shock. After some fumbling with the door, he got Kakyoin tucked in and left for his bedroom. 

Morning greeted Jotaro with sunshine and a knock on his door. Without thinking due to lack of sleep, he opened his door to find Kakyoin. Kakyoin looked up at Jotaro in shock, but then he started to laugh quietly. 

"What is it?" Kakyoin gave him a once over.

"I never knew that you suffered from some pretty serious bed head," Kakyoin couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Jotaro's hand flew to his head, and finally remembered that he threw his hat somewhere random last night. Looking around, he saw it was flung into his closet. 

"Anyway, run a comb through that mess of hair and come have breakfast with all of us," Kakyoin walked away still laughing at Jotaro, which made him blush. Jotaro threw on his hat and entered the kitchen a few moments after Kakyoin. 

"Good morning, Jojo," Avdol called out cheerfully. He seemed to be the only morning person in the group, aside from Holly. 

"Our flight leaves in two hours, but we're leaving soon to get through security and whatnot," Joseph said through a yawn.

"Since we packed last night, let's enjoy breakfast together!" Holly said with a smile. No one knew how much sleep she got, or how she could be so chipper regardless of whatever circumstances. 

Thirty minutes later, everyone piled into the car and made their way to the airport. The drive felt too short because they all knew that it would be a while before they would be together like this again. 

"You guys know this isn't our final goodbye, right?" Jotaro was getting uncomfortable with the tension in the air. 

"Well of course. But it's going to be so damn weird now that we have to go back to leading normal lives," Polnareff had a point. He sounded somber. 

"I'm pretty sure that we weren't leading normal lives before all of this anyway, so I think we'll be okay," Avdol was trying to lighten the mood, but even he seemed a little down.

"We can all get back together for the holidays," Kakyoin said in an effort to lighten up the mood.

"Including the Fourth of July!" Joseph said cheerfully from the front seat. Polnareff was more excited about that than anything else.

"We can figure out later just how often we can all meet up, but the holidays are a good start," Avdol said with a smile. 

They eventually arrived at the airport. They all stayed together talking up until the very last minute. No one would ever openly admit it, but a few tears may have been shed. A few of them may have made sure to get those promises to visit again for the holidays. Either way, they all scribbled down phone numbers and addresses. Once everything was set, they saw Joseph and Holly off on their flight. 

The last four of the group called for a town car back to Jotaro's house to grab their things. Not much needed to be assembled, so they were stalling more than anything. Polnaref and Avdol decided at the airport to go back to their hotel after Holly and Joseph left, and leave to go back home in the morning. As Avdol and Polnareff said their goodbyes, Kakyoin noticed that they didn't grab everything.

"You're not going to take these extra bottles?" Kakyoin gestured to the leftover bottles of alcohol.

"We won't need them. Polnareff thought that last night was going to be a party so he bought too much," Avdol said with a shake of his head.

"If you guys don't tell Holly and hide the evidence, you can have them," Polnareff gave them a wink. 

"You do know we're minors, right?" Jotaro shook his head, but he wouldn't turn down free drinks.

"You boys will be fine. Besides, kids your age are always sneaking around and drinking behind their parent's backs," Avdol gave them a knowing smile.

"Your town car is going to leave you two," Kakyoin said. Avdol and Polnareff started to rush around to make sure they had everything.

"Goodbye! We'll call you when we land!" Just like that, Jotaro and Kakyoin were all alone. 

"Today was more eventful than I thought it would be," Jotaro sighed and started cleaning up. Kakyoin started to help, but Jotaro grabbed his hand.

"You walked a lot today. Let your body rest," Kakyoin nodded and went to sit on the nearest chair. His face was a little warm from Jotaro grabbing his hand suddenly.

Jotaro could feel Kakyoin stare at him as he went about cleaning. It didn't feel uncomfortable, it was just unexpected. He didn't plan for the two of them to be alone like this so soon after having Kakyoin move in. Jotaro wasn't sure he could resist the urge to scream about how he feels if no one's around to stop him. He'll just have to keep a safe, friendly distance from Kakyoin until he can piece together how he wants to confess.

"Where are you going to stash those?" Kakyoin asked as Jotaro started to gather up Polnareff's gifts. 

"I guess I'll just leave them on the table for now. These were expensive gifts, so it would be a waste to throw them away. Besides, it's just going to be us for the next week, so there's no need to hide them right now," Jotaro heard Kakyoin get up and walk over to him.

"Holy shit. Most of these drinks are crazy strong. What was Polnareff thinking?" Jotaro leaned down slightly to inspect the bottle in his hands.

"Polnareff what the hell," Jotaro shook his head. Kakyoin laughed and set the bottle back down with the others. 

"It's getting a little late. Want to go out to get something for dinner?" Jotaro had to look away from Kakyoin. His words could've been misinterpreted, but he wasn't asking Kakyoin out on a date.

"Sure. I want to get to know the area a bit anyway. Let me grab my things," Kakyoin retreated to his room and Jotaro sat down. This isn't a date. It's just roommates grabbing dinner. Jotaro didn't hear Kakyoin walk up behind him after a few minutes. Kakyoin placed his hands over Jotaro's eyes.

"Guess who?" Jotaro could hear the smile in his voice. The only thing running through Jotaro's mind was just how soft Kakyoin's hands were.

"I'm guessing you're ready to go?" Jotaro grabbed Kakyoin's hands and tilted his head back to look at Kakyoin. Kakyoin blinked in surprise and blushed a little, but nodded his head to say that he's good to go.

Jotaro stood up and made sure he had his things before they set out. Jotaro decided to take them to his favorite ramen shop. He let Kakyoin set the pace, which was a little faster than expected. Every time Jotaro glanced over at Kakyoin, his head was spinning around from all of the new things he was seeing. He seemed genuinely delighted to be out, which is understandable. Even after he was released from the hospital, he still hadn't left the house much. 

"It's not too much farther," Jotaro was worried about Kakyoin's legs, but he still seemed fine.

"That's good, I'm pretty hungry," Kakyoin whipped his head around one last time to check that they were alone. Once the coast was clear, he shyly grabbed Jotaro's hand. Jotaro looked around as well, then pulled his hat down a little. 

When they got to the restaurant, they untangled their hands and went inside to browse the menu. It was a nice enough day out, so they opted to eat outside. Kakyoin wasn't sure what he wanted, so Jotaro said he'll get their food while Kakyoin picks out a table for them.

"Nothing too spicy. Ms. Kea said my insides aren't ready for that yet," Jotaro nodded and headed inside.  
Carrying out their food a few minutes later, Jotaro found himself hurrying to find Kakyoin. He knew that there weren't any enemies around. He knew this neighborhood was safe. But even after all this time, Jotaro would still worry about those close to him if he couldn't see them. He turned the corner of the building to find that Kakyoin had picked a spot on the side that was more secluded and shady than those out front. He sighed in relief. 

"I'm sorry, I should've told you where I was. I don't like being too out in the open," Kakyoin laughed nervously. He could see the momentary worry on Jotaro's face. It seems that Jotaro wasn't the only one who was affected by Egypt, even though so much time has passed.

"You're fine," Jotaro set down their food and sat across from Kakyoin. 

They ate and talked about how to spend their mini-vacation. Holly never bothered them when she was home, but with the house empty for once, it gave them a newfound sense of freedom. They weren't planning any wild house parties, but they could do whatever they wanted.

"How's this: tomorrow, you can take me to some of your favorite places. I'd like to know the places you love before we make some memories together," Jotaro pulled his hat down and nodded. Kakyoin can't say things like that without Jotaro's heart going a little crazy.

They finished up and Kakyoin offered to get them some ice cream before they walked back home. Jotaro took them to a booth that wasn't too far from the restaurant they went to. Kakyoin offered to pay since Jotaro paid for dinner, so Jotaro watched as Kakyoin ordered. Kakyoin chatted easily with the cashier, not once showing that he was nervous. Kakyoin has good people skills, which is something that Jotaro forgets until he sees it in action again. Jotaro got up and helped Kakyoin bring the ice cream over.

"Thanks. It was going to be hard to balance these and my cane. Want to get going?" Jotaro nodded and walked at a slower pace for Kakyoin. 

When they got home, Jotaro let Kakyoin shower first. He decided to make them some coffee because he knew that they were going to play video games until they fell asleep. While it was brewing, he glanced over at the bottles left by Polnareff. He wasn't a big drinker, but that might be because he never had friends to drink with. It wasn't something he sought out actively, but now that he has some, he wants to drink with Kakyoin.

"What are you thinking about over there?" Kakyoin's voice broke him from his thoughts. He had on simple pajama bottoms, but that was it. Around his neck was a towel, but he wasn't wearing a shirt. That would've driven Jotaro wild if it wasn't for the scar. It was something he can and will overlook as time goes on, but it looked painful almost. 

"Oh shit. I'm sorry, I'll go throw on a shirt," Kakyoin was turning but Jotaro caught him by the wrist.

"Do you usually air out like this after a shower?" Jotaro was trying to normalize the situation. Kakyoin turned to face him.

"I do. I like to get cold after a hot shower so I can then throw on a sweater. But I don't want this scar to-"

"It's a part of you, and you can't help that. I'm okay, I just haven't seen it before," Kakyoin wordlessly brought Jotaro's hand close to the scar, but left it hanging in the air. 

"You can touch it if you want. I know sometimes when you face something head on it becomes less scary," Jotaro allowed himself to let his hand slowly graze Kakyoin's stomach. His fingers drifted all around the surface of it. The doctors did a great job on it altogether. It was smooth to the touch; The only ridges were found along the edges where it was still healing. 

Jotaro found it hard to pull away, so he didn't. His eyes flicked up to Kakyoin's, who nodded to say that he could continue. He placed both hands on Kakyoin's scar and let his fingers roam. Jotaro eventually made his way to Kakyoin's back, where he found an almost identical scar. He couldn't stop himself. He kept feeling up Kakyoin's torso, just trying to get closer to him. He let his head rest on Kakyoin's shoulder, telling himself that he wanted to see the exit wound of the scar. He breathed in deeply. Kakyoin smelled so damn good. 

"Jotaro?" At the sound of Kakyoin's voice, Jotaro shook himself free of the spell he put himself under.

"I'm sorry. I went too far," Jotaro started to pull away, but Kakyoin draped his arms around Jotaro's neck to lock him in place.

"No no, you were fine. I was just making sure you were okay," Kakyoin gave him an easy smile, "Did touching it help?" Jotaro nodded. He swallowed hard. They were so close. They both seemed to realize just how close together they were and simultaneously broke apart.

Jotaro cleared his throat, "I made coffee. I'm going to go shower, I'll be back in a minute," Kakyoin nodded and made his way to the kitchen.

In the shower, Jotaro felt physically relaxed. His mind, however, was anything but. He had lost control so easily. Kakyoin has always had that effect on him, though. In Egypt, whenever Jotaro was wound up after a fight, Kakyoin was always there to gently talk him back down. Even without the warm water, Jotaro felt hot. He knew his face was as red as an apple, even his ears were burning. Unless Kakyoin is just messing with him, there's no way that he doesn't feel the same way about Jotaro. He tried to clear his thoughts as he exited the shower.

"You have a sleeping sweater?" Kakyoin covered his mouth to try and hide his smile. He was already in an emerald-colored sweatshirt of his own.

"Shut up," Jotaro sat down beside him on the couch, "Sleeping in a sweatshirt is best for me. I like having my hands in pockets, and my arms are always covered so it just feels natural to me."

"Jotaro when was the last time your arms saw the sun? Was it only briefly in Egypt?" Jotaro told him to shut up again and Kakyoin laughed.

They drank coffee and played video games for a couple of hours. They eventually finished the pot but saw that it was only almost ten at night. 

"My dear best friend, I have an idea. Care to play a game?" Kakyoin had that mischievous look in his eyes again.

"Were we not just playing games?" Kakyoin shook his head and continued.

"Let's start working on these bottles. Before you say anything, I'm not proposing that we finish off one or two tonight. We just drink a little and play a fighting game or something. Are you in?"

"Can your insides even handle that right now?" Despite his inexperience with drinking, he was more concerned if Kakyoin's insides would survive alcohol.

"Ms. Kea said that so long as I keep it light that I'll be fine," Kakyoin looked at their options and brought over one that sounded good.

"Vanilla cinnamon sounds like a good starter. It's a creamier one, according to the bottle, so we won't feel it immediately," Kakyoin handed Jotaro the bottle and he looked it over. He shrugged and opened it, taking a hesitant sip. It honestly tasted pretty good, so he took another swig. 

"I hope I'm not a lightweight," Jotaro passed the bottle to Kakyoin who then took a sip.

"I guess we'll find out tonight. Are you ready?" Jotaro nodded and they started up the game.

They decided that for every time one of them lost, the loser would take a drink. Jotaro had gotten his skills up over the past few months, but he was no match for Kakyoin's skills yet. He drank half of the bottle by himself.

"H-here. I don't want to die of alcohol poisoning or some shit," Jotaro found out that he wasn't a lightweight, but that Kakyoin was. Half a bottle got Jotaro pretty tipsy; His words were starting to slur. 

"Thank you!" Kakyoin laughed and drank some more.

"That's all I'm giving you t-tonight. I don't want your organs to fail," Kakyoin nodded and set the now empty bottle down.

"Jotaro, you're such a great friend. You're a real sweetie like your mom. I like having you around," Kakyoin slumped over onto Jotaro's shoulder and laughed to himself. 

"I'm not sweet. I've been told that I'm a stubborn ass, amongst other things."

"You are, but that's not bad. You're just stubborn if you want something, or if you don't want something," Jotaro patted Kakyoin's head, unsure of how to respond.

"I'm going to go get us some water. You stay here," Jotaro stood up too quickly and everything spun for a second.

"Jojo be careful! We can't have you falling," Kakyoin sent out one of Heirophant's tentacles to grab onto Jotaro's hand. Jotaro shot him a questioning look, "So you have a friend," Jotaro shrugged and went to get the water.

When he got back, he found Kakyoin playing the game they were playing against a computer. He made Kakyoin pause to drink water so that they won't have hangovers in the morning. Not that they drank that much, but better safe than sorry. He sat beside Kakyoin and watched him play.

"Jojo?" Jotaro looked over to Kakyoin. 

"Why are you so nice to me?" Jotaro looked away.

"You're my best friend, why wouldn't I be?" Kakyoin seemed satisfied with that answer and resumed the game.

When they both felt too tired, they decided to call it a night. They were still a little tipsy, so Jotaro had to almost carry Kakyoin to his bed.

"Thank you, Jojo. I'll see you in the morning," Kakyoin patted Jotaro's face. Jotaro smirked.

"Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow," He threw the covers over Kakyoin and left to his room.

Jotaro was awake for a little while more. Sober him couldn't stop feeling up Kakyoin. Intoxicated him thankfully kept a lid on things. He kept thinking over how the day went. The house was packed earlier, but now it was just the two of them. The lack of noise and activity was a little jarring. He was grateful that his moment of perversion hadn't tainted anything.

Jotaro woke up early the next day and made them breakfast. He brewed some more coffee just in case Kakyoin wanted to continue with their plans on sightseeing. Once everything was done, he went to go wake Kakyoin. He gently knocked on his door but heard no movement. 

"Hey, are you awake?" Jotaro pressed his ear to the door and still heard nothing. He knocked a few more times before he got worried. 

"I'm coming in," Jotaro slowly opened the door to find that Kakyoin was somewhat curled up. He tucked himself away inside of his sweater. Jotaro smiled to himself and walked over to Kakyoin to gently shake him awake.

Kakyoin slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Jotaro. He smiled and sat up to stretch.

"Morning, Jojo," Jotaro had to look away from the level of cute Kakyoin was displaying. 

The two made their way to the kitchen and Kakyoin was impressed with what Jotaro made. He forgot that Jotaro knows how to cook. While they ate, Jotaro tried to plan out their day. He didn't have a whole lot of places to take Kakyoin. He didn't want to bore Kakyoin with basic sightseeing. 

"What are you thinking so hard about over there?" Jotaro looked up to see a curious Kakyoin.

"I don't want you to be bored today, so I'm trying to plan it out," Kakyoin laughed.

"You don't have to try and impress me or anything. Just take me to the places you find special and I'll enjoy it, even if it's just one place," Kakyoin smiled at him and Jotaro had to look away again. 

"If we find ourselves bored later, we'll improvise. Does that sound okay?" Jotaro nodded and Kakyoin hurried through his food so they could get started. An hour after they finished breakfast, they started on their mission. 

"So, my favorite places might take all day or week. They're best enjoyed at night," Jotaro thought for a second and then immediately waved away any thoughts Kakyoin had about the words that just left his mouth. 

"Not like that. It's just a better experience when coupled with stars," Jotaro pulled his hat down. The word 'coupled' wouldn't have meant anything if he were speaking to anyone else. 

"Sure, Jojo. Whatever you say," Jotaro looked up and saw a sly look in Kakyoin's eyes. Jotaro pulled his hat down and started walking. 

"Don't leave me behind!" Kakyoin called out as Jotaro slowed his pace a little.

Jotaro decided to take Kakyoin first to a video game shop. He figured that they needed some new games to play since they've been playing the same games for a few months now, and this would technically qualify as a favorite place. He came here sometimes for books. Kakyoin took his time browsing the selection until he decided on four that sounded pretty good. He made sure that 3/4 were multiplayer, and the last one was single-player but had a great story so that they'll both still be entertained. After that, Kakyoin suggested that they go to a grocery store.

"It's pretty hot out right now, and I know you're dying under that jacket. Since we have to wait until night to visit your favorite places, let's buy some snacks and play these games. How does that sound?" Jotaro agreed, mainly because this heat was horrible for sightseeing.

They loaded up their arms with as many things as they could and cashed out. Jotaro wouldn't let Kakyoin hold anything but the bags of chips they bought so that he could focus on walking without any extra weight. When they got home and set everything down, Jotaro peeled his jacket off of him, leaving him in a tank top that clung to him. He noticed that Kakyoin was red, but it was most likely due to the heat. 

Instead of going back out, they stayed inside for the rest of the day and played their new games. They fell asleep and did the same thing the next day. The day after that, they had to go see Ms. Kea, who was overjoyed to see them. They stayed longer than they thought they would just catching up with Ms. Kea. She thankfully reported that Kakyoin was still doing just fine, so Jotaro took Kakyoin out to dinner to celebrate his good health. They awoke the next morning to rain pouring down. 

"This is good. I can take you to one of my favorite places tonight," Jotaro sat at the table but looked outside at the trees blowing around in the rain. 

"What do you want to do in the meantime?" Kakyoin sat down beside him.

"We can watch movies if you'd like."

"I know the perfect movie!" Kakyoin hurried to the living room to select his movie of choice. Jotaro followed him to the living room to see Kakyoin excitedly pull out a movie and hand it to him. 

"When and why did you get this?" Jotaro looked at the cover and saw that it was a horror movie.

"Nevermind that. Are you in? Or are you too scared?" Kakyoin had a teasing tone and a playful look in his eyes.

"Shut up. Just pop it in already," Jotaro sat down on the couch and watched Kakyoin excitedly set everything up. He turned off the lights, so the only light was coming from the tv and occasional lighting strike. 

"I'll sit close to you so that you can cuddle up on me when you get too scared," Kakyoin sat close enough so that their sides were touching.

"You're so lame," Jotaro leaned into the arm of the couch and wrapped his arm around Kakyoin to pull him in closer.

"I...I've never done this before," Kakyoin's face was red, so Jotaro released him.

"Shit. I'm sorry," He took it too far. He probably made Kakyoin uncomfortable.

"No no, it's not a bad thing. It was nice," Kakyoin weaseled his way back into Jotaro's arms with a smile, which eased Jotaro's worries.

Kakyoin pressed play and they watched in silence at first. The movie was trying too hard to be scary, so Jotaro was more entertained than frightened. Kakyoin was laughing at the bad portrayal of ghosts. Jotaro kept looking down every time Kakyoin laughed. He was enjoying having him this close and laughing. Kakyoin looked up at one point and caught Jotaro staring, but neither looked away. Kakyoin smiled up at him and snuggled closer. They were both aware of how close they were. Jotaro just had to lean in, ever so slightly, and they would be kissing. 

They completely forgot about the movie until they heard a loud, shrill scream.

They pulled away quickly out of fright. Jotaro got up and turned off the tv. He looked back at Kakyoin who was looking out the window.

"The rain stopped. Want to head out?" Jotaro nodded and helped Kakyoin stand up.

Jotaro couldn't help but think of what just happened on the walk. Normally, one or both of them would pull away when things like that happened. But this time just felt natural. Kakyoin never seemed to shy away from Jotaro's touch. Before his mother comes home, he's going to confess.

"Take my hand and close your eyes," Kakyoin did as instructed and Jotaro carefully lead him down the pathway.

"The path gets a little tricky at this part. I'll carry you so your legs don't give out or something. Is that okay?" Kakyoin nodded and Jotaro carried him princess-style.

"You better not be carrying me anywhere weird."

"Don't worry, we're here," Kakyoin opened his eyes and saw the ocean in front of him. The clouds were drifting away and the moon was hitting the now calm ocean.

"I like coming here after a storm. It's so serene," Jotaro set Kakyoin down on a large rock and sat beside him.

"It's beautiful. Do you come here often?" 

"I used to, regardless of the weather. But now I make sure I come here only after it rains so that it stays special," Jotaro leaned back on his hands and looked up at the sky.

"Thank you for sharing this with me," Jotaro nodded and Kakyoin joined him in stargazing.

They stayed out for what felt like hours. Kakyoin started to spout out facts about the stars at one point, which Jotaro found cute in a nerdy way. Jotaro noticed that Kakyoin was talking less and less, and when he let the conversation end for a few minutes, Kakyoin fell asleep on Jotaro's shoulder. Jotaro let him fall into a deeper sleep before he picked him up and carried him back home.

The next day, Kakyoin woke Jotaro up. Only this time, he walked right on in. He sat himself down on Jotaro's bed and gently shook him awake. Jotaro didn't wake up like he usually did because Kakyoin didn't knock.

"Before you freak out, you know that I've already seen your eccentric bed-head," Jotaro scrambled for his hat and Kakyoin laughed to himself, "But I have news. It's pouring rain again and it isn't supposed to stop, so we're sort of stuck inside today," Kakyoin barely finished his sentence when a loud clap of thunder shook the windows.

"Not much we can do about that," Jotaro stood up and followed Kakyoin out to the living room.

They found themselves rather bored. They beat one of the games Kakyoin bought, but other than that, there wasn't a whole lot to do. Looking around, Jotaro's landed on their little presents from Polnareff.

"Maybe drinking will relieve this boredom we're suffering from," Jotaro picked out another creamy one and brought it over to Kakyoin.

"You don't have to drink with me," Jotaro took a few sips and set the bottle on the table.

"I'm just as bored as you are," Kakyoin reached for the bottle and took a few sips of his own.

They finished off the bottle quickly without even realizing it. Jotaro walked over and chose a slightly stronger one. When he tried to drink it as he did with the previous drink, he found himself coughing instead. Kakyoin laughed until he tried the same thing and ended up coughing as well. They kept trying to outdo each other until they were drunk. 

"No more for you," Jotaro grabbed the bottle from Kakyoin and did his best to screw on the cap in his inebriated state.

"Jojo," Kakyoin tried to grab the bottle and failed, "I'm a big boy," Kakyoin started laughing, not caring to put more effort forth in the fight for more alcohol.

"Jojo. Let's play truth or dare," Kakyoin had a daring look in his eyes. Jotaro laughed and agreed.

They stayed in the safe zone in the beginning, asking about favorite colors and such, until Kakyoin took it down a different path. Kakyoin asked the question and Jotaro chose dare.

"Jojo, I dare you to tell me who you like," Jotaro gave him a confused look and Kakyoin laughed, "Jojo don't tell me that you've gone your whole life never having a crush on anyone," Jotaro looked down. His face felt warm and he knew it was from more than the alcohol.

"I hate the girls at our school because they lose their damn minds around me, so I don't have a crush on any girl," Jotaro hoped that would suffice, but Kakyoin is smarter than that.

"So who's the lucky guy?" Jotaro looked him in the eye. To say he was nervous would be an understatement. Weighing his options, he figured that in the morning, it can be written off as a drunken moment of stupidity if this goes south.

"So I've had this huge, stupid crush on you for a while now," Jotaro looked down and cleared his throat, "I know that you're probably-" Jotaro's head was forced back up by Kakyoin's gentle hands on his cheeks. Before he could process what was happening, Kakyoin was pressing his lips against Jotaro's.

"I had a feeling, but I thought it was too good to be true," Kakyoin bit his lip and looked away, "Do you know how long I've been wanting to do that?" Jotaro grabbed Kakyoin's face hesitantly and brought their lips back together.

Neither of them had any prior experience in kissing, but that didn't stop them. They tried different head tilts and would occasionally bump noses, but they finally got it right. Kakyoin wrapped his hands in Jotaro's hair, knocking off his hat. Jotaro couldn't care less about that right now. Jotaro tried to pull Kakyoin closer, but the awkward angle they were at wouldn't allow it. Jotaro felt Kakyoin laugh against his lips and they pulled away.

"I didn't mean for that to happen, but I don't regret it," Kakyoin smiled at Jotaro, and for once Jotaro didn't look away.

"That was my first kiss," Jotaro did look away when he felt his face heat up, "I hope it wasn't too bad."

"A far as I'm concerned, that was great. That was my first kiss, too," Kakyoin grabbed Jotaro's hand. 

They watched movies and played games, but the atmosphere was different. Jotaro knew they'd have to talk more about this in the morning, but he was fine enjoying the moment. The two of them ended falling asleep in each other's arms on the couch. They didn't notice that the rain had stopped a while ago, but they had no interest in leaving the house anymore. 


	11. Chapter 11.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys get some alone time and finally cough up their feelings for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. So my life has finally calmed down enough that I can have a set schedule for things again and I can continue writing this for you all (:  
> Once again, I'm sorry for the absence, and thank you all for sticking with me.  
> I'm sorry it's a little short, but I still hope you enjoy it! Let me know your thoughts in the comments, enjoy!

Jotaro woke up but didn't open his eyes just yet. Thinking through the events of last night, he decided it was just a good dream and nothing more. And if it wasn't, they could both just forget about it and blame it on the alcohol. After deciding on the latter, Jotaro eventually opened his eyes and tried to sit up, but then realized that he was being held down by a still sleeping Kakyoin.

Which meant that everything last night wasn't a dream. They got drunk, kind of confessed to each other, made out, and then passed out. 

He and Kakyoin kissed. Kakyoin initiated the kiss. Kakyoin was currently snuggled up against his chest, unaware that Jotaro was currently remembering and almost panicking about it all. What the hell did they drink?

As carefully and as slowly as he could, Jotaro unearthed himself out from underneath Kakyoin. He wanted to talk about everything as soon as possible, but he needed to wait for Kakyoin. Who knows if he remembers what happened? And if he does, who says he even wants to acknowledge it?

Jotaro decided to make some coffee to further sober himself up. As it was brewing, he got a blanket and tossed it over Kakyoin. He wasn't as quiet as I thought, or maybe Kakyion was a light sleeper because Kakyoin grabbed his hand to keep Jotaro from turning to leave.

"Hey, stranger," Kakyoin pulled himself up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Want some coffee?" Kakyoin nodded and Jotaro gave him the cup he was using, which still had plenty left in it. He sat down on the couch across from Kakyion and waited. Kakyoin sighed and looked over to Jotaro.

"So about last night..." Jotaro couldn't look Kakyoin in the eyes.

"If I made you uncomfortable, I-" Kakyoin cut Jotaro off.

"Let me stop you right there. I initiated that first kiss. If anything, I should be the one apologizing," Kakyoin laughed nervously. He set the coffee down on the table and ran his hands through his hair. 

"Jotaro," The one in question looked up because Kakyoin rarely says his name anymore, and he especially never says it like that, "I need to be honest with you. I'm sorry in advance if you find me repulsive afterward," Jotaro nodded and Kakyoin continued.

"I know we were pretty drunk last night, but there was more to that kiss than just alcohol. I-" Kakyoin bit his lip and looked down at his lap, "I've liked you for so long now," Kakyoin whispered out the last part of his sentence.

"Did I hear you correctly?" Kakyoin nodded, but still wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Nori," Kakyoin snapped his head up. Despite his blush, he didn't look away, "Do you really think I would let you kiss me and then go back for more if I didn't feel the same way?" Kakyoin smiled but shook his head.

"But we can't be together," Kakyoin's face fell in the blink of an eye.

"Why? After everything we've been through, and after what happened last night, why can't we be together if we both feel the same way?" Kakyoin frantically rubbed at his eyes, but there was anger floating underneath his tears.

"It's not any of the reasons that you're thinking. I just don't deserve someone like you," Jotaro held up his hand before Kakyoin had the chance to say anything.

"You know the type of person I am. I'm a punk, the type of shit who picks fights constantly, and only because I'm pissed off. I can't say that I'm a good person," Kakyoin got up and walked away to his room without a word.

Jotaro's head sunk into his hands. This is what he was dreading. Kakyoin did feel the same way, but Jotaro somehow drove him away entirely. Kakyoin didn't fight for their possible relationship like Jotaro was expecting. This is why he waited so long to say anything. Why now of all times does everything have to fall to shit? Why couldn't it of been before Kakyoin came to live with him? Jotaro wasn't exactly elated when he woke up, but he would trade feeling uncertain over feeling miserable.

Jotaro felt a light tap on his head. When he looked up, he was greeted with a slightly worn out sketchbook.

"Here. Before you go thinking anything crazy, look through this," Kakyoin handed him the book and sat back down across from him.

What greeted Jotaro was at first just random pictures. They were still great drawings, but they were just drawings of landscapes or people Jotaro has never seen before. Then he got to the more worn pages, where he saw pictures of the Crusaders. It was all of them in various places doing different things. When did Kakyoin have time to draw all of these? He saw that in all of the drawings of the Crusaders they were smiling and laughing. But then, Jotaro saw himself. These drawings only contained Jotaro. Most of them were far off drawings or when he was sleeping, but there were two that really caught his eye. 

The first one was of Jotaro hunched over a bed, soundly asleep. The angle of it looked hard to draw. Kakyoin even got his mess of hair down pretty well. Was this at the hospital? That would've been the only time that Jotaro would've slept in that uncomfortable position. 

The second one was of Jotaro smiling. Somehow Kakyoin made him look nice, like a person you'd want to know. It was a smile that reached his eyes. It was the rare one he reserved for Kakyoin. The Jotaro he was looking at looked so happy to be looking at the artist. The rest of the book was filled with drawings, but they didn't matter right now. He looked at Kakyoin to see him blushing a little, but with a smile. 

"You say you're not a good person, but we wouldn't have ever met if you were a bad person. Jotaro, you're the nicest person I know. You've done so much for me, and I know I can't ever repay you. I don't care if you think you're a punk or whatever else. To me, you're my best friend who's willing to risk it all for the ones he loves. I know what you're like underneath that hard exterior. I like you for you, and I don't want you to be anyone else," Jotaro let the book fall from his hands and into his lap. No one has ever said anything like that to him before.

"That, and you're pretty easy on the eyes," Kakyoin laughed to himself and Jotaro shook his head.

"I've liked you for a long ass time. You better not be messing with me," Jotaro picked up the fallen sketchbook and placed it on the table between them.

"There'd be no sense in lying about something like this," Jotaro got up and sat next to Kakyoin.

"So, I'm new to this, but I think it goes something like this," Jotaro cupped Kakyoin's face in his hands and kissed him gently.

"Nori, will you go out with me?" Without a second thought, Kakyoin nodded and kissed Jotaro again. They kissed for a little while longer before Kakyoin pulled away.

"So, you think I'm cute or something?" Kakyoin laughed, but Jotaro decided to flip the script. He cupped Kakyoin's face with one hand and smiled at him.

"Of course I do. Shouldn't your boyfriend think you're cute?" Kakyoin pulled away and hid his red face, which Jotaro got to laugh at despite his own blush.

If anyone asked, they were just playing video games and hanging out all day. What really happened was the two of them spent all day on the couch talking and kissing and being happy that they could finally express how they've been feeling all this time. 

"So when did you realize that you liked me?" Kakyoin asked. They were sharing a blanket on the couch and watching a movie.

"To be honest? I don't know. I spent a lot of the time just trying to sort out a weird feeling I had around you when we got back from Egypt. I admitted it to myself a few months ago. Then it became a challenge to not scare you away with how I felt because I wasn't sure how you felt," Kakyoin started to laugh a little.

"Wait, seriously? You couldn't tell by how I always wanted to be near you or hold your hand? If you haven't noticed, I never did that with the others," Kakyoin had a smirk on his lips.

"To be fair, I wasn't sure if that's how you would act with someone else if you were as close with them as we are," Jotaro ran his fingers through Kakyoin's hair. Kakyoin yawned and leaned into him more.

"Come with me, I want to take you to one of my absolute favorite places," Kakyoin looked up at Jotaro with a confused look.

"At this hour? Can't we go tomorrow? It's already dark out." 

"It's not far, I promise," Jotaro picked up Kakyoin swiftly, which made Kakyoin blush again. Kakyoin buried his face into Jotaro's shoulder, so he didn't realize that they were going to Jotaro's room.

"Okay, we're here," Jotaro set Kakyoin down in his desk chair and closed the door.

"Oh my gosh, Jotaro. We've been dating for less than a day and you're already bringing me to bed? You move quickly," Kakyoin had that teasing tone in his voice and a smirk on his lips until Jotaro moved over to him in the semi-darkness. 

"Shut up. This is my absolute favorite place," Jotaro picked him up again and set him down on the bed. 

"Oh right. I forgot that you're more of a homebody," Kakyoin scooted closer to the wall to make room for Jotaro to lay down. Jotaro settled in and threw the blankets over them.

"You're lucky that I have a huge bed or this wouldn't work," Jotaro pulled Kakyoin in closer. He could feel the heat coming off of Kakyoin's face. 

They fell asleep quickly but they didn't know what time it was when that happened. They were too wrapped up in each other to care about time. When they awoke the next day, they both felt like it was the best sleep they had ever gotten.


End file.
